Summing Up

Abstract

The scientific meeting was opened by the chief of the organizing committee, Professor Burgio, who reviewed embryonic development of the immunological functions. Professor Burgio pointed out that long before birth the human being has developed the essence of full immunological capacity, the capacity to distinguish between self and non-self, ability to produce antibodies, to express cell-mediated immunities, and to make immunoglobulins. But because the fetus represents an allograft and must not damage the mother or the mother’s cells, and because the mother’s cells must not damage the fetus, the immunological functions of each, at least toward one another, must be tightly controlled and often modulated. There must exist, at very minimum, an immunological compromise between mother and fetus.