The anaphylactic response of the human fallopian tube

Abstract

The material for this study was obtained in the routine course of gynecological operations, through the courtesy of the surgeons. In the operations for fibroid tumors of the uterus, it is frequently necessary to remove the Fallopian tubes, which furnish a satisfactory basis for the study of smooth muscle reactions. The tubes were studied by the method described by Dale for the uterine horns of the guinea-pig. Some of the material came from women who had previously received horse serum in some form, while in the remainder, regarded as controls, there was no history of the use of diphtheria antitoxin, or other therapeutic serum derived from the horse. The tubes which came from the sensitized individuals presented a distinct response upon the addition of minute amounts of horse serum, while the controls failed to respond even on the addition of large amounts of horse serum. The contractile response, although much less pronounced than in the case of the guinea-pig, is still unmistakable. The response to ergamine, adrenalin, and other similar drugs, is also very much less marked, in the case of the human preparation. From an anaphylactic standpoint, the human smooth muscle is, therefore, intermediate between that of the guinea-pig and that of the rabbit. This fact explains the character of the anaphylactic symptoms which have been observed in human beings.