^ebSyTS"1"}  Pharmaceutical  Meeting.  105 
power  of  destroying  bacteria  ;  that,  according  to  the  law  of  chemotaxis,  they 
are  attracted  to  the  region  infected  by  the  bacteria,  and  that  thus  they  act  as 
the  scavengers  of  the  system.  According  to  the  hematogenic  theory,  whose 
chief  advocate  is  Biichner,  the  blood  contains  certain  substances,  known  as 
alexins,  which  are  destructive  to  bacteria. 
Passive  immunity  is  conferred  upon  the  individual  by  certain  substances^ 
such  as  antitoxins,  comminuted  nervous  tissue,  molecular  matters,  etc.,  which 
are  prepared  without  his  influence,  but  by  receiving  which  (by  hypodermic 
injection,  etc.)  he  becomes  immune.  The  best  illustration  is  in  the  use  of 
antitoxins  for  the  prevention  of  disease. 
Immunity  to  intoxication  is  that  resulting  from  the  resistance  to,  or  the 
destruction  of,  toxins.  It  thus  appears  that  immunity  means  not  only  the 
ability  to  combat  the  bacteria  themselves,  but  the  ability  to  resist  the  influence 
of  their  poisons  as  well. 
In  this  connection  the  speaker  alluded  to  the  experiments  wmereby  it  has 
been  found  that  by  progressive  intoxication  a  new  substance  is  produced  in 
the  blood,  which  becomes  antitoxic,  this  being  the  origin  of  the  antitoxins. 
Among  those  taking  part  in  the  discussion  of  the  address  were  Prof.  Jos.  P. 
Remington,  Dr.  C.  B.  Lowe  and  Messrs.  Jos.  W.  England  and  I,.  F.  Kebler. 
Professor  Remington  said  that  the  subject  was  one  fraught  with  much  in- 
terest, and  inquired  whether  immunity  could  be  transferred  through  heredity, 
alluding  in  this  connection  to  the  natural  history  illustrations  of  protective 
mimicry. 
Dr.  Lowe  spoke  of  examples  of  the  immunity  of  young  infants  to  smallpox 
as  due,  perhaps,  to  hereditary  influences. 
In  replying  to  the  previous  speakers,  Dr.  McFarland  said  that  acquired  im- 
munity is  not  hereditary,  and  that  the  best  illustration  of  this  is  furnished 
by  the  exanthematous  fevers  of  childhood  to  which  we,  who  have  had  them, 
are  immune,  though  our  children  are  not.  Referring  to  the  investigations  of 
Bhrlich,  he  said  that  forced  immunity  may  be  transferred  to  the  offspring,  as 
shown  in  the  case  of  mice  securing  immunity  through  milk. 
In  response  to  a  query  by  Mr.  England  in  regard  to  the  chemical  nature  of 
the  antitoxins,  Dr.  McFarland  said  that  there  were  several  views  on  this  point. 
Some  investigators  consider  them  to  be  proteid  substances,  while  others,  like 
Behring,  believe  them  to  be  in  the  nature  of  forces,  and  still  others  look  upon 
them  as  ferments.  On  account  of  the  difficulty  of  separating  them  from  the 
serum,  their  exact  chemical  nature  cannot  readily  be  determined.  They  are 
precipitated  along  with  the  globulins  by  magnesium  sulphate,  but  no  one  has 
yet  separated  them  pure. 
Lyman  F.  Kebler,  having  been  engaged  in  the  examination  of  certain  of  the 
medicinal  salts  for  some  time  past,  presented  a  paper  on  "Bismuth  Salicylate, 
Basic."    (See  page  65.) 
Referring  to  the  constitution  of  some  of  the  bismuth  salts,  Mr.  Kebler  said 
that  practically  BiON03H20  does  not  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  bismuth  sali- 
cylate is  so  uniform  that  there  should  be  no  trouble  as  to  its  therapeutic  effect, 
and  any  difference  which  may  have  been  noted  in  this  respect  he  thought  was 
probably  due  to  a  confusion  of  the  normal  and  basic  salts. 
Replying  to  a  series  of  questions  asked  by  Mr.  England  in  the  discussion  of  the 
paper,  Mr.  Kebler  said  that  he  had  never  been  able  to  prepare  satisfactory  acid 
