PHAGOCYTIC IMMUNITY IN PNEUMOCOCCUS INFECTIONS, AND IN PNEUMONIA WITH RELATION TO THE CRISIS

These results seem definitely to show, through animal experiments, that phagocytic immunity is to a high degree specific for the organism used in immunization, and that the amount of opsonin produced in the process depends to a great extent on the virulence of the organism. The negative results obtained with post-critical sera do not mean that opsonins may not be present (our five positive cases indicate their presence), but they emphasize strongly the fact that they are not formed to any great extent. Therefore this study adds further support to the view that although opsonic immunity is produced in pneumonia, it is not the only means of defense possessed by the body, and by itself it cannot explain the crisis.