Abstract
Frequent attempts have been made to ascribe to a particular organ, or group of organs, the reaction inducing the response of the sensitized animal to a second injection of the foreign protein. Fatal anaphylactic shock in the intact organism is probably a complex syndrome in which most, if not all, of the tissues of the body participate. However, numerous investigators have attempted to implicate the reticulo-endothelial system as essential for anaphylaxis (Hill and Martin (1)). The liver, in particular, has received much attention and the claim has been made that the hepatic tissues play an essential rôle in the definite syndrome associated with acute anaphylactic shock in the guinea pig (2, 3).
Various methods have been employed to test this hypothesis. The most frequent appears to have been “blockade” of the hepatic reticulo-endothelial system. Such a procedure has given conflicting results (1).
Footnotes
Aided by the David May Fund.
