Page:Wound infections and some new methods for the study of the various factors which come into consideration in their treatment.djvu/40

 I pass now to consider yet another subject-matter—the emigration of leucocytes into the wound. I need not labour the point that this is a factor which may determine the issue of an infection; nor need I point out that it behoves us to acquire a control over the movement of leucocytes, and then to turn this to account, as the case may be, by activating or restraining emigration.

Broad foundations for our work have, as you know, already been laid by the brilliant researches of Metchnikoff. But it was with Metchnikoff always a question of experiments in vivo—that is, of experiments carried out under conditions which cannot be sufficiently simplified to give quite unambiguous answers. And we require for the elucidation of our problems and for all detail work connected therewith, absolutely simple crucial experiments, such as can only be made in vitro.