Studies In Phagocytosis

Abstract

Our knowlege of the finer mechanisms in the reactions of various infections is as yet in the beginning of its development. This is true especially of such common, clinically and anatomically well-understood infections as those caused by staphylococci and streptococci, pneumonia with its pneumococcemia, and typhoid fever with its bacillemia. mechanisms, for instance, by means of which the typhoid bacillus overcomes the strong bacteriolytic power of normal human blood to which it seems very sensitive, and thus succeeds in establishing the typhoid infection, are certainly not fully understood. In our previous article on The Antilytic Action of Salt Solutions and Other Substances1 we described certain experiments the results of which seemed to indicate in typhoid infections not only is complement used up, in the course of bacteriolysis, which no doubt is going on, but that a certain amount is also neutralized by the soluble products of disintegration of typhoid bacilli. Hence neutralization of complements may play an important role in the establishment of some infections in which we have reason