Abstract
In previous studies we gathered evidence of the importance of the suprarenal gland in antibody formation through its influence on the water balance in the tissues of the body. 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 That the suprarenal glands are essential in the mechanism of natural resistance has been established by Marine and his coworkers in this laboratory 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 and by other investigators. 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 In an effort to determine the relation of the suprarenal gland to acquired resistance the following experiment was carried out.
In a preliminary experiment the M.L.D. of a batch of typhoid vaccine (preparation No. 120, lot No. 199) in suprarenalectomized rats was determined. This was found to be 0.5 cc.∗ Fourteen rats received 3 intraperitoneal injections of typhoid vaccine at weekly intervals (0.5 cc. and 1 cc.). Five days after the last injection these 14 rats were suprarenalectomized, together with 10 normal uninjected rats. On the sixth day following the operation 8 immunized suprarenalectomized rats were injected with 5 cc. of typhoid vaccine and 6 were injected with 1 cc. intraperitoneally. All the unimmunized rats were injected with twice the M.L.D. (1 cc.).
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