Immune sera; haemolysins, cytotoxins, and precipitins / Authorized translation by Charles Bolduan.

  • Wassermann, A. (August von), 1866-1925.
Date:
1904
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: Immune sera; haemolysins, cytotoxins, and precipitins / Authorized translation by Charles Bolduan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    trice of the specific haemolytic serum and the alexin which exists even in normal serum. The action of these two substances Bordet explains by assuming that the red cell is not vulnerable to the alexin; just as, for example, there are certain sub- stances that will not take a dye without the previous action of a mordant. The substance sensibilatrice plays the role of mordant. It makes the blood- cells vulnerable to the alexin, so that the latter can attack the cells and dissolve them. The alexin he regards as a sort of ferment body with digestive powers. Bordet says further, that the substance sensi- bilatrice sensitizes the blood-cells not only for the alexin derived from the serum of the same species as that from which it (the substance sensibilatrice) is derived, but sensitizes such cells also for the alexins of normal sera of other species. For ex- ample, in the foregoing experiment of Bordet, the substance sensibilatrice derived from the guinea- pig by treatment with rabbit blood sensitizes the red blood-cells of rabbits not only for the alexin of normal guinea-pig blood, but also for the alex- ins of other normal sera. In another experiment this author showed that rabbit red cells sensitized with an inactive specific haemolytic serum derived from a guinea-pig would dissolve rapidly on the addition of normal rabbit blood. Here, then, the rabbit red cells, sensitized (according to Bordet) by the substance sensibilatrice of the guinea-pig,