Studies upon hypersusceptibility and immunity / by M.J. Rosenau and John F. Anderson.

  • Milton Rosenau
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Studies upon hypersusceptibility and immunity / by M.J. Rosenau and John F. Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    49/76 (page 47)
    MATERNAL TRANSMISSION OF HYPERSUSCEPTIBILITY AND IMMUNITY. In our })revious> work we showed that hypersuseeptibilit} to the toxic effects of horse serum may be transmitted from the mother guinea pig to her 3Oung. Later, one of us (Anderson) showed tliat the female guinea pig ma}^ transmit hypersusceptibility to horse serum and immunity to diphtheria toxine at the same time. On account of certain analogies between the reaction to tuberculin and the toxic action of horse serum, we have made further studies along these lines. In this bulletin we shall refer onl}^ to our studies upon the transmis- sion of hypersusceptibilit}’^ and immunity to the toxic action of horse serum, leaving related studies with tuberculosis and tuberculin for a future publication. Our present studies corroborate the fact that hypersusceptibilit^'^ to the toxic action of horse serum is alwavs transmitted from the mother guinea pig to her young. This function is solely maternal; the male takes no part whatever in the transmission of these acquired proper- ties. Whether this maternal transmission is hereditaiy or congenital can not be definitely stated. We are able to exclude the milk as a factor in transmittinof the h}’persusceptibility to the toxic action of horse serum bj’’ a series of exchange experiments, which are given in detail below. “Exchange” experiments consist in at once placing guinea pigs born of a susceptible mother to nurse with an untreated female and, in exchange, the jmung of the untreated female are at the same time placed to nurse with the susceptible female. From these “exchange” experiments we learn that the hypersusceptibility is not transmitted to the young in the milk. We also learn from our experiments that hypersusceptibilit^’^ may be transmitted from mother to young whether the mother is sensitized before or after conception. The fact that this influence may take place after conception might be taken to indicate that the transmission is congenital and not hereditaiy. GROUP A. FAMILY NO. 1. (8ensitiy.ed female; untreated male.) Female (G. P. No. 610). October 20, 1906. Six c. c. antitoxic horse serum. (Natl. IX, 17) intraperitoneally. Dead, 30 minutes. [Previous treatment: 1.51 days prior, 0.15 c. c. toxine No. c. c. antitoxic horse serum (Natl. VIII, 18).]