Text book of comparative general pathology for practitioners and students of veterinary medicine / by Th. Kitt; authorized translation by William W. Cadbury ; edited with notes and additional illustrations by Allen J. Smith.
- Kitt, Th. (Theodor), 1858-1941.
- Date:
- 1906
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Text book of comparative general pathology for practitioners and students of veterinary medicine / by Th. Kitt; authorized translation by William W. Cadbury ; edited with notes and additional illustrations by Allen J. Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.
46/504 (page 26)
![tozoa (spermolysins), upon bacteria (bactcriolysins), upon white blood cells (leucolysins). Some dissolve several kinds of cells, as in the case of spermolysins, which destroy red blood cells as well as spermatozoa. From this it may be seen that in general cytolysins possess speciücity of action. The appearance of cytolysins in the body of any given animal is occasioned by the introduction of cells of a different species of animal into the first. If human blood be injected in increasing amounts under the skin of a rabbit or into its peritoneum, the serum of the rabbit will acquire the power of dissolving the hu- man red blood cells, but not those of horses, cattle or guinea-pigs. If the spermatic fluid of guinea-pigs be introduced into rabbits, in the same way the serum of rabbits becomes solvent for the spermatozoa of guinea-pigs, but cannot influence the spermatozoa of another species of animal. If colon bacilli be injected into an animal a cytolysin will be developed destructive only to these microphytes, and in fact only to the particular strain of this bacterial group which was employed in the experiment. From the foregoing it should be realized that the principal feature in the production of immunity against foreign cellular elements is the formation of the amboceptor or desmon, and that this alone is a new product of the cells of the invaded body; the other element, the alexine, naturally pre-exists in every body, its combination with the desmon form- ing the cytolysin. If, however, the necessary alexine be absent or present in insufficient amount, the cytolysin will not appear. In this latter way must be explained such occurrences as where, in spite of repeated introduction into an animal of some type of cells, the blood acquires no cytolytic power, but where on further addition of the serum (containing the required alex- ine) from another species of animal cytolytic activity is immediately produced. The sources of the amboceptors are apparently the bone- marrow, spieen, lymph glands and perhaps the subcutaneous con- nective tissues. In addition to the production of antitoxic and cytolytic sub- stances the body may engage along the same line of reaction in the formation of substances [II order of Ehrlich] which cause foreign cells to aggregate in masses (clumping, agglutina- tion), the so-called Agglutinins; and other substances which coagulate foreign types of albumens (Coagulins) and cause their precipitation (Precipitins). In illustration, if defibrinated human blood be injected into a rabbit there is developed in the blood of the latter a substance which will act on human blood to](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28130078_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
