Abstract
Conclusions
It appears that in rabbits histamine is linked via the histamine containing platelets with blood coagulation, and this is connected via heparin with the heparin producing basophiles. All these elements are involved in serum disease. The first injection of serum is followed by a rise in histamine and platelets, the second by a drop in these elements. The destruction of the white cell layer following reinjection calls forth an outpouring of heparin which in turn is followed by basophilia in the blood. Only the changes following reinjection can be regarded as allergic. Neohetramine was found to effect only the primary reactions following the first administration of serum. It suppressed the rise in blood histamine and the proteinuria observed during the first week following the first injection, and also impeded the primary mesenchymal reactions in lungs and heart which are believed to be instrumental in antibody formation. There are reasons to believe that this was not a specific antihistaminic effect, but that it was due to a non-specific action of the drug upon the permeability of tissue membranes possibly via the hyaluronidasehyaluronic acid mechanism.
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