Identifier: appliedimmunolog00thom (find matches)
Title: Applied immunology : the practical application of sera and bacterins prophylactically, diagnostically, and therapeutically
Year: 1916 (1910s)
Authors: Thomas, Benjamin Abraham, 1878- Ivy, Robert Henry, 1881-
Subjects: Serotherapy Immunity Immunization, Passive
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.B. Lippincott
Contributing Library: Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons and Harvard Medical School

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ex-perimental evidence. It is most important to realizethat the interaction between antigens and antibodies isof a chemical nature, i.e., the antibody does not destroythe antigen but forms a chemical combination with it.Ehrlichs theory conceives of each body-cell as con-sisting of a central molecular complex or nucleus uponwhich its life depends and a number of processes or side chains capable of combining with foodstuffsfor the nutrition of the cell and with foreign substanceswhich might prove injurious to it. These side chainsor processes are termed receptors. Each receptor hasa special affinity for a certain kind of foodstuff ortoxin. Certain receptors are common to all cells,while others are found only in special cells. It is alsoconceivable that some receptors may not be normallypresent but are formed only by the stimulation of cer-tain forms of toxins. The toxic molecule which uniteswith the cell receptor consists of two groups, a hapto- 24 •o 3 §3 if <s O m 3S O Bl3 0) 3S
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EHRLICHS SIDE-CHAIN THEORY 25 phore group, which binds it to the cell receptor, and atoxophore group, which actually bears its toxic prop-erties. When the receptor combines with the toxinmolecule, the cell throws it off into the circulation, andsimilar receptors are formed to take its place. These,however, are formed in excess, and the cell throwsthem off also. These free receptors then unite withcorresponding toxin molecules in the circulation.There is a receptor for each particular form of toxinmolecule. Thus the diphtheria toxin combines onlywith the specific receptor provided for it, and will notunite with those intended for tetanus toxin. Ehrlichstheory, which at first only covered the simple union oftoxin with antitoxin, was extended also to explain theaction of more complex antibodies, and may be said tocover completely all forms of antigen-antibody ac-tion. There are three recognized types or orders ofreceptors, which are conveniently illustrated by theaccompanying diagram (Fi

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