Abstract
Conclusions
1. The capacity to produce specific antibodies as a function of the immune mechanism has been tested before irradiation in rabbits and rats with respect to survival following mid-lethal doses of X-radiation. No direct correlation was demonstrable between survival or survival time after X-ray and pre-irradiation anti-egg albumin or hemolysin titer in 79 rabbits or hemolysin titer in 35 rats. 2. A study of the induction phase of hemolysin production showed that the early attainment (6 or 7 days after immunization) of peak titer could be correlated with nonsurvival in 41 rabbits subsequently exposed to 850 r. The absence of a striking correlation between pre-irradiation specific antibody titer and X-ray sensitivity in rats and rabbits just described, suggests that the capacity of the immune mechanism for antibody synthesis in these animals is not directly related to their survival following mid-lethal irradiation.
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