PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODIES BY TISSUES LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANISM

Abstract

The recent development of an efficient technic for large cultures has rendered possible the study of the functions of tissues living outside of the organism. In order to ascertain whether tissues cultivatedin vitroretained the property of reacting against antigens by producing antibodies, we have attempted to induce guinea-pig's bone-marrow and lymph-glands to become hemolytic for goat's red blood-corpuscles. In these experiments we were very much indebted to Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, whose advice enabled us to obtain immediately positive results. Guinea-pig bone-marrow and lymph-glands were cultivated in guinea-pig's plasma in Gabritschewski boxes. Goat's blood was selected as an antigen because it is only slightly, or not at all, hemolyzed by guinea-pig's serum. Two drops of washed goat's blood-corpuscles were generally added to a culture containing twenty drops of plasma and five or six drops of a suspension of tissues in Ringer's solution. Together with every culture containing goat's red