The Relation between the Allergic Intracutaneous Reaction and the Symptoms of Anaphylaxis

Abstract

The intracutaneous reaction of the sensitized animal may be explained thus: The reinjection of the allergen gives rise, at the site of injection, to substances which cause an inflammatory reaction. In this way, the character of the cutaneous reaction is distinguished from the reaction obtained from intravenous reinjection in the guinea-pig, in which the main action is directed against the smooth muscle-fibers; or from that in the dog, in which the lowered blood-pressure is the prominent feature. Altho different species of animals show different symptoms on the reinjection of the allergen, and altho the same animal may show different reactions to the intracutaneous and to intravenous reinjections, it is still conceivable that the same toxin is responsible for the different results. According to this conception, the different results in the different species of animals are explained in this way: In the different species, the toxin seeks out different systems of organs on which to exercise its chief action; for example, the intravenous injections of peptone in dogs and in guinea-pigs give rise to different symptoms. In the case of the same species in which the reinjection is intracutaneous or intravenous, the explanation of the difference in results is that the same toxin gives rise to different lesions in the different organs with which it comes in contact. On the other hand, a different conception is possible: The reinjection of allergen in different species of animals, or in the same animal, in the case of different modes of injection, leads to the formation of different toxins; the different symptoms in this event being, therefore, natural.