EFFECTS OF CORTISONE ON EXPERIMENTAL MURINE TYPHUS III

Many attempts have been made to determine the effect of adrenal cortical hormones on immunization and immunity to various infectious and noninfectious agents. There are at least three questions to be considered in connection with the study of the immune response: first, the effect of cortical hormones on the development of antibodies, second, the effect these hormones may have on already formed antibodies, and, third, the effect that the hormones have on anaphylactic reactions. The effect of cortical hormones on antibodies has been a very controversial question with the results falling into three possible categories: first, no effects being noted, and second, an inhibitory effect, either on the production of antibodies, or reduction in the antibody titer after immunization by either adrenalectomy or administration of excess hormone. The third possible group of results in these hormonal studies is an enhancement of antibody production or its release into the blood serum. The role of the adrenals as set forth in early literature is confusing and contradictory. Much of the evidence is indirect due in part to the introduction of many unknown factors without critical analysis of the mechanisms involved. Some thirty years ago considerable work was done on the effects of adrenalectomy on immunization. The results of these workers show that some found a stimulatory effect resulting from adrenalectomy, while others reported no effect or a depression in antibody production. Many early workers failed to confirm the completeness of