In this letter, Heidelberger rearticulated criticism of laboratory findings and methods reported by Ecker and his coworkers, criticism first advanced in the manuscript of a forthcoming article by Heidelberger and others on the comparison between human and guinea pig complement. The letter illustrates Heidelberger's role as arbitrator, critic, and guardian of a uniform terminology in the new field of complement chemistry, a field Heidelberger helped launch in the late 1930s and early 1940s. He proved that complement was made up of a group of specific chemical substances that could be isolated in the laboratory, and that it had essential functions in activating host defense mechanisms against invading microorganisms.
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