Biological action of blood serum of schizophrenic patients in relation to stress.

THE presence in the blood of toxic substances, the action of which on the brain is presumed to cause disturbances in mental function, is frequently suggested as a factor in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia1–4. The sources and the chemical nature of such substances are still unknown. Many publications claim, however, that the body fluids, such as blood and urine, of schizophrenic patients show a wide spectrum of pathological activity on various test objects and the psychiatric literature usually refers to this as “toxic action”. The body fluids of schizophrenic patients seem to change the functions not only of various processes in isolated biological systems (for example, isolated cells, tissue cultures and biochemical processes), but also the function of whole organisms.