Recent
Advances
Txanck,
A.,
and
in Knowledge Civntte,
A.:
of Defense Deliljer.
(‘onat,.
Mechanism J)rt~trmt.
of Skin.
Internat.
1:
Darier.
.J.,
1, 1!1:35.
( 1) its struc*tural The tlefrnse role of the skin appears to lw tluwl because of: is still poorly understood and chnracteristic~~ properties whose mcc+hanism ’ 3 and which are grouped untler the term ’ ’ Twal inlnluni ty ’ ’ ; and (L’) a possible secondary tlcfcnsr, in whirh the skin pro\-ides the organism with impot’tant assistance in tltc forum of gcncral immunization. In thr presenw of agglxssion, thv organisnl may: (1 ) untlrrgo c~liangc T~assivcly or (2) tlrfentl itself wtiwly in one of two ways: (a) 1)~ awepting am1 utilizing the aggressor by assimilai ing it (rcfrac4 ory state, itnrnwt~ity), or (h) by refusing this assimilation and hy rcwting against this aggrwsor (infl:~mmation, “allergy,”
:
infolrmm).
Histomine Hchild,
Release H.:
and Anaphylactic
Quart.
J. Exper.
Physiol.
Shock in Isolated 26:
TG,
Lungs
of Guinea
Pigs.
1936.
‘The release of histamine front thcl isolatetl Tx~rfuse~l lungs of actively ant1 passively sensitizrtl guinea pigs was studirtl. It was fount1 to 1~ a specific phenomenor: connected with the anaphylac*tic~ reacation ant1 Trroportionnl to it,s intensity. Ceil injury and muscular contractions resulting from the use of barium chloride or anaphylactoid-producing substances, such as agar an< 1 kaolin, tlitl not cause an apprcciable release of histamine. l’he amount, of histamine produced in anaphylactic shock varied with the degree of sensitization, and was found to be correlated with the degree of contraction whic:It occurred in tile bronchial and vascular musculature. The administration of adrenwlin in doses suthcicnt. to prevent hronchoconstriction diminished the release of histamine in anaphylactie shock, hut did not prevent tlesensitization of the tissues. 1'11r abol-e c~qwvinients seemed to rule out the hypothesis that the release of’ histamine in :ma~~hyl:~ctic shock is solely tlte result of the smooth muscle contraction. On the other Ilar~l, the author admits that there is st,ill insufTicirnt evidence to justify the wnvlusion that histamine liberation is the only cause of anaphylwtic T~henorncna in tlw isolate~l perfused lungs in guinea pigs. *see
Qser;
Mayer. K. L., PI-IX. Sm. Exper.
Simon, Biol.
I!‘. 1.. Sulzberger, & Med. 32: ‘i16,
M., and 1934.
particularly
Sulzberger
and