Page:Defensive Ferments of the Animal Organism (3rd edition).djvu/91

 moments following the anaphylactic shock, i.e., during so-called antianaphylaxy—a state in which the animal becomes absolutely insensitive towards further injection.

If we summarize all the results obtained up to date, we arrive at the conclusion that our observations with regard to the appearance of ferments in the blood plasma, after injection of disharmonious proteins and peptones, undoubtedly stand in some kind of relation to anaphylaxv. The special significance of these ferments, however, remains uncertain. It would appear possible that these ferments acquire some special properties in the course of time, and then, by decomposition of the second dose of albumen, give rise to derivatives of a highly specialized nature and activities.

There are many other possibilities to be considered. The decomposition may not necessarily take place only in the blood. Our method has at present only demonstrated the appearance of ferments in the plasma or serum, and that could only be done because the ferments, which we find after parenteral introduction of proteins and peptones, cannot normally be traced in the blood plasma of certain animals. It is not unlikely that, after the introduction