Title:

Chemical Studies on Bacterial Agglutination: III. A Reaction Mechanism and a Quantitative Theory

Creator:

Heidelberger, Michael
Kabat, Elvin Abraham, 1914-2000

Date:

June 1937

Description:

In this article, Heidelberger and Kabat continued their work to unravel the chemical processes of bacterial agglutination, the clumping together of antigen-bearing cells in the presence of antibodies called agglutinins. Here, they laid out a quantitative theory based on equations derived from the law of mass action that effectively showed that agglutination is analogous to the precipitin reaction. Their conclusion that agglutinins were not a distinct group of antibodies, but rather that agglutination and precipitation were separate functions of the same antibodies, overturned established conceptions of the agglutination process that had placed emphasis on the role of electrolytes and physical force.

Periodical:

Journal of Experimental Medicine

Publisher:

Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research

Rights:

Reproduced from the Journal of Experimental Medicine, 1937, 65, 885-902 by copyright permission of the Rockefeller University Press.

Genre:

Articles

Subject:

Agglutination

Format:

Text

Extent:

18 pages

Relation:

Chemical Studies on Bacterial Agglutination: II. The Identity of Precipitin and Agglutinin, 1936

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Periodical. Heidelberger, Michael, and Elvin A. Kabat. "Chemical Studies on Bacterial Agglutination: III. A Reaction Mechanism and a Quantitative Theory." Journal of Experimental Medicine 65, 6 (June 1937): 885-902. Article. 18 Images.. Journal of Experimental Medicine

Legacy ID:

DHBBCF

NLM ID:

101584940X25

Profiles Collection:

The Michael Heidelberger Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584940X25

Story Section:

Antigens and Antibodies: Heidelberger and The Rise of Quantitative Immunochemistry, 1928-1954