PLATES 6 AI~' V 7.

PLATES 6 AI~' V 7.

Rosenaii, and others, it has been generally acknowledged that the discovery ot antigenic and solidjle exotoxins^vas one ot the most triiittul and imjiortant contriijutions to innnnnology and medicine. The ideas stimidated jjy this^vork brought about elucidation ot inninnerable problems in j^athology and clinical medicine and ga\e important residts in specitic treatment and prexention ot certain intectious and contagious diseases. Ever since 1892, numerous in\estigators attempted to develop antitoxic sera tor almost exery known bacterial infectious disease. It xvas, hoxvever, soon learned that the possibility of producing antitoxins was limited only to a small gTOup of diseases because the method of demonstration of toxins failed xvith a large percentage of microorganisms tested. The investigations xvere then side-tracked by the theories of endotoxins. These theories apparently handicapped the original and finidamental progress for many years to come. Ever since the demonstration ot the phenomenon of bacteriolysis by PfeifTer and his formulation of the endotoxin theory, investigators used amazing ingenuity in the development of methods for cell destruction. However, the split products and the laboratory artefacts thus obtained coidd not be reasonably considered as responsible agents in e\olution of infectious diseases because of complete lack of specific pathological effect upon experimental animals. The opposing viexvs have been steadily gaining groinid that some unknoxvn agents as yet may be responsible for systemic intoxications in intectious diseases. For some years I employed various experiments in order to determine whether meningococcus, B. tyjjhosus and other microorganisms produced sid)stances similar to soluble exotoxins. As a working hypothesis, I assumed that the microorganisms in \vhich the demonstration of exotoxins Avas hitherto impossible may produce injuries in animal tissues through a mechanism altogether different from the direct injurious effect exerted by diphtheria, botulinus, tetanus, and other true exotoxins. \Vith this idea in CONTENTS Preface "^ii Acknowledgments ix FoRE^voRD xi Translation of the Foreword xiii Llst of Illustrations xxv Chapter I 17 6. Skin of back of rabbit following intradermal injections of meningococcus active principles and, twenty-four hours later, intravenous injection of same principles 18 7. Phenomenon of local skin reactivity to meningococcus filtrate in rabbit ear 20 8. Section from ear following same treatment as in Figure 7 21 9. Section from area 3 cm. away from site of reaction 21 10. Neutralization of meningococcus active principles by antimeningococcus neutralizing serum 99 XXV XXVI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 11. Section ol^kiii iiiulcr low and liii^li p()vver magnification showing fully developed phenomenon three and one-halt houis after intravenous injection of reacting factors iGS 12. A, Settic:)n of skin site after prej^aration with B. lypJiosus filtrate almost completely neutralized by homologous antitoxic horse serum, followed by intravenous injection of...

No abstract

No abstract