67 



On the Presence of H(em-a(jghdinins, HcBm-opsonins, and 

 HcBmolysins in the Blood obtained from Infectious and Non- 

 Infectious Diseases in Man. [Third Report.) 

 By Leonard S. Dudgeon, F.R.C.P. Lond., and H. A. K. Wilson. 



(Communicated by Dr. F. W. Mott, F.R.S. Received September 11, — 

 Read December 9, 1909.) 



(From tlie Pathological Laboratories, 8t. Thonias'.s Hospital.) 



The further investigations on this subject which form the basis of this 

 paper have been mainly directed towards phagocytosis and the specific hsem- 

 agglutinins and ha^molysins present in the blood of apparently healthy people 

 and those suffering from acute and chronic infections. To these we may 

 possibly add a note on the susceptibility of the red blood corpuscles in 

 various diseases to water containing graduated percentages of sodium 

 chloride. 



Normal Blood. 



It is stated in a paper published in the ' Proceedings of the Royal Society ' 

 by one of, us (L. S. D.),* that while auto-agglutination of the red blood 

 corpuscles does not occur, iso-agglutination is met with in a certain proportion 

 of cases. The samples of blood used in these experiments have been obtained 

 from workers in these laboratories and others apparently in the best of 

 health. The technique was similar to that referred to in the preliminary 

 report.f 



Some samples of normal sera have the power of agglutinating almost all 

 specimens of normal and abnormal red cells presented to them, and often the 

 agglutination is of the haMuolytic type — blood presenting tliese changes has 

 been obtained from apparently perfectly healthy men, but in no case was 

 auto-agglutination or auto-htemolysis met with. The h<em-agglutinating 

 properties of " pooled serum were tested in the manner about to be recorded. 

 Several samples of sera in equal proportions were allowed to interact at 

 37° C, and then tested with various suspensions of red blood corpuscles which 

 had previously been treated with the sera individually. The results of these 

 experiments may be briefly summarised. It was found that when a serum 

 caused agglutination of certain red cells, agglutination still occurred in the 

 pooled mixture, but to a less degree owing to dilution ; but if no agglutination 



* ' Roy. Soc. Proc.,' B, vol. 81, p. 207. 

 + ' Roy. Soc. Pioc.,' B, vol. 80, p. 531. 



