It is clearly evident that pharmacists are beginning to realize that a full and complete appreciation of their duties to society at large must of necessity react to their own pecuniary advantage and will in addition procure for them the respect and the admiration of their fellow men.
M. I. Wilbert,
Secretary.
A REVIEW OF THE OPSONINS AND BACTERIAL VACCINES.[[2]]
By E. M. Houghton.
As requested by the Therapeutic Gazette, I shall attempt to describe as succinctly as possible the theory of the opsonins and the therapeutic results that have been obtained by the application of the new theory. As the years go by we realize more thoroughly the correctness of the prophetic belief of the “Immortal Pasteur,” that the day would come when it would be possible to eradicate the infectious diseases by vaccination.
We are indebted to Metchnikoff for calling attention to and explaining the rôle of the white blood cells in the defence of the body against bacterial invasion, but the phenomenon of phagocytosis is not so simple as it at first appeared, as little by little new facts are developed which amplify our knowledge of the subject.
It was shown by Denys and Leclef, in 1895, that when rabbits were immunized against Streptococcus pyogenes the serum acquired but slight bactericidal properties, but that such serum, when brought in contact with the leucocytes of normal or immunized rabbits, greatly enhanced their phagocytic activity. Conversely no acceleration of phagocytosis was observed when the corpuscles were brought in contact with the serum of a normal animal.
Mennes two years later confirmed this by showing that similar results were obtained from the blood serum of guinea-pigs treated with cultures or toxins of Pneumococci.
A method of measuring the phagocytic activity of the leucocytes was developed by Leishman in 1902. In 1903 Wright and Douglas made an extensive study of the phagocytes, when brought in contact with suspensions of Staphylococcus pyogenes, and were able to show: