Complement Deviation in Pregnancy. 107 



vaccinia, septic pneumonia, etc.) the substance causing increased 

 pressure and the depressor substance were found. 



The organs which possess pressor substances are apparently 

 important organs of immunization. The organs with the depressor 

 substances are possibly eliminating or fixing the split-products or 

 poisons arising from the disease. The adrenals are probably 

 simply one of a number of organs, which possess pressor producing 

 tissues, and which when acting altogether in the whole living 

 organism produce the general pressor substances or immuno- 

 pressor substances. In vivo these pressor substances are probably 

 present in every tissue and form part of the factors which over- 

 come infection. They may be the first step or a very important 

 step in overcoming infection. 



These results apparently furnish an indicator as to when and 

 how to re-inject animals already afflicted artificially or naturally 

 with an infection or intoxication, with the purpose of immunizing 

 and healing the diseased animals. That the r61e of these pressor 

 substances, present in experimental immunity is important, we do 

 not doubt. The use of an immunizing dose which is just sufficient 

 to cause their production may be what these observations indicate. 



71 (767) 



Preliminary communication on a complement deviation reaction 

 exhibited in pregnancy. 



By G. H. A. Clowes, Francis C. Goldsborough, 

 and F. West. 



[From the Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, State Institute for the 

 Study of Malignant Disease, Buffalo, N. Y.\ 



In a series of twenty-five normal pregnant women at term in 

 which syphilis could be excluded the blood of the mother was taken 

 from the vein during labor and the blood of the infant from the 

 cord at the time of delivery. The sera after separation from the 

 clots were frozen and allowed to remain in the icebox 48 hours 

 before being employed. A series of complement deviation tests 

 were carried out, using both unheated and heated sera of mothers 



