IMMUNITY
IN
INFECTIVE DISEASES
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
C. F. CLAY, MANAGER.
=London=: FETTER LANE, E.C.
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IMMUNITY
IN
INFECTIVE DISEASES
BY
ÉLIE METCHNIKOFF
FOREIGN MEMBER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON
PROFESSOR AT THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE, PARIS
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH
BY
FRANCIS G. BINNIE
OF THE PATHOLOGICAL DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
_With 45 figures in the text_
CAMBRIDGE
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1905
=Cambridge=
PRINTED BY JOHN CLAY, M.A
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION.
In preparing for the English-reading student this version of M.
Metchnikoff’s latest work, wherein he “sums up the labours of
twenty-five years,” it has been my aim to give a faithful rendering of
the ideas and argument of the original, even at the risk of an
occasional crude expression, rather than to attempt to reproduce the
brilliancy of the original by any wide verbal departure from the text.
The Table of Contents forms an admirable analytical summary of the main
subject-matters treated, but an alphabetical Index has been added to the
present edition, and, though not at all exhaustive, this may serve as a
key to the many authors cited and to the maze of detail discussed in the
work.
The marginal reference to the pages of the original work will, I hope,
commend itself to those readers who may wish to refer to the _ipsissima
verba_ of the author. It is, I believe, a novelty in scientific works,
though familiar in works in other departments of literature.
I am under deep obligations to Professor Woodhead (who has read the
whole of the proofs) and to Mr A. E. Shipley, and Mr G. H. F. Nuttall
(who have read portions) for much valuable criticism and advice.
THE TRANSLATOR.
_August, 1905._
ERRATA.
Page 93, line 2, _after_ itself _insert_ alone; line 3, _delete_ only.
Page 98, line 3 from bottom, _for_ actively _read_ vigorously.
Page 386, line 16, _for_ tortoise _read_ turtle.
Page 461, line 21, _after_ circumstances _insert reference figure_ 1.
Page 537, line 11, _for_ arise _read_ arises.
TO MESSIEURS E. DUCLAUX AND E. ROUX.
_My dear Friends_,
_Permit me to dedicate to you this work, which sums up the labours of
twenty-five years; a very great part of it has been carried out by your
side, you who have done so much to lighten my task._
_When, nearly fourteen years ago, you allowed me to share your work
alongside the venerated Master who founded the House where we have
laboured together, you were anything but partisans of my theories; they
seemed to you too vitalistic, and not sufficiently physico-chemical. In
course of time you became convinced that my ideas were not without
foundation, and since then you have given me warm encouragement to
pursue my researches in the field that I had marked out for myself._
_Working by your side and drawing largely from your vast and varied
stores of knowledge, I felt myself safe from those divagations into
which a zoologist, who had wandered into the domain of biological
chemistry and of medical science, is likely to stray. I thank you with
all my heart, and I beg you to accept the homage of this work as a
testimony of my deepest gratitude and of my warmest friendship._
ÉLIE METCHNIKOFF.
_Institut Pasteur,
3 October, 1901._
PREFACE.
When, ten years ago, I was preparing my _Lessons on the Comparative
Pathology of Inflammation_ for the press, I hoped that the other
sections of the phagocytic theory—Immunity, Atrophies, and Healing—would
soon follow this first work. This hope has not been realised, and it has
needed prolonged work ere I could publish the volume I have just
completed.
During this long period I sent out several _ballons d’essai_ under the
form of summaries of the question of Immunity, published in the _Semaine
médicale_ (1892), the _Ergebnisse_ of Lubarsch and Ostertag (1886), and
the _Handbuch der Hygiene_ by Weyl (1897). I there attempted, as far as
possible, to give a general picture of the phenomena of Immunity in the
infective diseases, and it was my desire to excite criticism and
opposition, in order to determine the fate of the theory of phagocytes
in its application to the problem of Immunity.
The most recent attempt in this direction was made at the International
Congress at Paris, in the past year (1900), when I presented my report
on Immunity before an audience which included, amongst others, my
principal opponents. It was the result of this Congress which at length
decided me to bring together my views on Immunity in a volume which I
now present to the reader.
Convinced that many of the objections raised against the phagocytic
theory of Immunity proceeded solely from an insufficient knowledge of
the theory, I thought that a work condensed into one volume might render
some service to those who are interested in the problem of Immunity. I
do not know whether I shall convert my opponents, but I am convinced
that a perusal of this book will clear away certain misunderstandings. A
very competent observer recently confessed in one of his publications
that for many years he had been unaware of the experiments of M. J.
Bordet and myself on Immunity against the cholera vibrio, experiments
which he now regards as of fundamental importance for the comprehension
of the whole question of Immunity. I hope that after the appearance of
this treatise such oversights will not be so likely to occur.
Should I not succeed in convincing my opponents of the justice of the
cause which I defend, T shall at least have informed my critics and
shall have given them an opportunity of discussing it with a thorough
knowledge of the material on which it is based. This result alone would
justify me in having undertaken this work.
At first I intended to add to my explanation of Immunity a theory of the
phenomena of healing in infective diseases, but I soon had to renounce
this project, for its execution would have increased too greatly the
bulk of the book which, without it, has already assumed considerable
proportions. It seemed to me preferable to set forth the present state
of the question without paying too much attention to the historical
sequence of the discoveries, and to reserve for a special chapter, at
the end of the work, a sketch of the history of our knowledge on
Immunity.
Before I ask the reader to glance through this work, I should mention
that I have been heartily seconded in its preparation by many of my
friends and collaborators. I offer my most sincere thanks to MM. Roux,
Nocard, Massart, and J. Bordet, who kindly undertook to read my
manuscript throughout, or such parts of it as related to their special
subjects. For example, M. Nocard rendered me a very great service by
correcting the paragraphs of Chapter xv, which treat of the vaccinations
against epizootic diseases, and M. Massart, by giving me his advice on
the subject of immunity in plants.
I owe very special thanks to M. Mesnil, who has been good enough to give
me very effective help in the dry task of correcting the manuscript and
proofs.
I beg MM. E. Rémy and L. Barnéoud to accept my thanks for the care they
have bestowed on the execution of the illustrations in this work.
ÉLIE METCHNIKOFF.
PARIS, INSTITUT PASTEUR,
_3 October, 1901_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION v
PREFACE ix
INTRODUCTION 1
Importance of the study of immunity from a general point of
view.—Part played by parasites in infective
diseases.—Intoxications by the products of
micro-organisms.—Resistance of the organism to the invasion of
micro-organisms.
Natural immunity and acquired immunity.
Immunity to micro-organisms and immunity to toxins.
CHAPTER I
IMMUNITY IN UNICELLULAR ORGANISMS 11
Infective diseases of the unicellular organisms.—Intracellular
digestion in the Protozoa.—Amoebo-diastase.—Part played by
digestion in the defence of the Protozoa against infective
parasites.—Defences of the _Paramaecia_ against
micro-organisms.—Part played by irritability in defence in the
lower organisms.
Immunity of unicellular organisms to toxins.—Acclimatisation of
bacteria to toxic substances.—Protective secretion of membranes
by bacteria.
Adaptation of the Protozoa to saline solutions—of yeasts to
poisons—of yeasts to milk-sugar.
Irritability of unicellular organisms and Weber-Fechner’s
psycho-physical law.