PREFACE.
When, ten years ago, I was preparing my Lessons on the Comparative Pathology of Inflammation for the press, I hoped that the other sections of the phagocytic theory—Immunity, Atrophies, and Healing—would soon follow this first work. This hope has not been realised, and it has needed prolonged work ere I could publish the volume I have just completed.
During this long period I sent out several ballons d’essai under the form of summaries of the question of Immunity, published in the Semaine médicale (1892), the Ergebnisse of Lubarsch and Ostertag (1886), and the Handbuch der Hygiene by Weyl (1897). I there attempted, as far as possible, to give a general picture of the phenomena of Immunity in the infective diseases, and it was my desire to excite criticism and opposition, in order to determine the fate of the theory of phagocytes in its application to the problem of Immunity.
The most recent attempt in this direction was made at the International Congress at Paris, in the past year (1900), when I presented my report on Immunity before an audience which included, amongst others, my principal opponents. It was the result of this Congress which at length decided me to bring together my views on Immunity in a volume which I now present to the reader.
Convinced that many of the objections raised against the phagocytic theory of Immunity proceeded solely from an insufficient knowledge of the theory, I thought that a work condensed into one volume might render some service to those who are interested in the problem of Immunity. I do not know whether I shall convert my opponents, but I am convinced that a perusal of this book will clear away certain misunderstandings. A very competent observer recently confessed in one of his publications that for many years he had been unaware of the experiments of M. J. Bordet and myself on Immunity against the cholera vibrio, experiments which he now regards as of fundamental importance for the comprehension of the whole question of Immunity. I hope that after the appearance of this treatise such oversights will not be so likely to occur.
Should I not succeed in convincing my opponents of the justice of the cause which I defend, T shall at least have informed my critics and shall have given them an opportunity of discussing it with a thorough knowledge of the material on which it is based. This result alone would justify me in having undertaken this work.
At first I intended to add to my explanation of Immunity a theory of the phenomena of healing in infective diseases, but I soon had to renounce this project, for its execution would have increased too greatly the bulk of the book which, without it, has already assumed considerable proportions. It seemed to me preferable to set forth the present state of the question without paying too much attention to the historical sequence of the discoveries, and to reserve for a special chapter, at the end of the work, a sketch of the history of our knowledge on Immunity.
Before I ask the reader to glance through this work, I should mention that I have been heartily seconded in its preparation by many of my friends and collaborators. I offer my most sincere thanks to MM. Roux, Nocard, Massart, and J. Bordet, who kindly undertook to read my manuscript throughout, or such parts of it as related to their special subjects. For example, M. Nocard rendered me a very great service by correcting the paragraphs of Chapter xv, which treat of the vaccinations against epizootic diseases, and M. Massart, by giving me his advice on the subject of immunity in plants.
I owe very special thanks to M. Mesnil, who has been good enough to give me very effective help in the dry task of correcting the manuscript and proofs.
I beg MM. E. Rémy and L. Barnéoud to accept my thanks for the care they have bestowed on the execution of the illustrations in this work.