Species and specificity: an interpretation of the history of immunology

Abstract

Part I. Specificity and Unitarianism in XIX Century Botany and Bacteriology: 1. The Unitarians 2. The Linnaeans 3. The dominance of specificity 4. The history of XIX century bacteriology from this point of view Part II. The Inherited Controversy: Specificity and Unitarianism in Immunology: 5. Dichotomy and classification in the thought of Paul Erlich 6. Max von Gruber and Paul Erlich 7. Max von Gruber and Karl Landsteiner 8. Unity, simplicity, continuity: the philosophy of Ernst Mach Part III. Chemical Affinity and Immune Specificity: The Argument in Chemical Terms: 9. Structural and physical chemistry in the late XIX century 10. Erlich's chemistry and its opponents: the dissociation theory of Arrhenius and Madsen 11. Erlich's chemistry and its opponents: the colloid theory of Landsteiner and Pauli 12. Erlich's chemistry and its opponents: the new structural chemistry of Landsteiner and Pick 13. The decline and persistence of Erlich's chemical theory Part IV. Absolute Specificity in Blood Group Genetics: 14. Immunology and genetics in the early XX century 15. The specificity of cells and the specificity of proteins 16. The last confrontation Conclusion.