Explain Metchnikoff's theory of cellular immunity.
My central idea is that the body's defense against disease is primarily orchestrated by specialized cells: the phagocytes. These remarkable cells, acting like vigilant sentinels, patrol the tissues and are drawn to sites of injury or infection. They actively engulf and digest harmful agents, be they microbes or dead cells. This struggle for existence occurs not only between different species but also *within* the organism itself, a constant battle to maintain internal equilibrium. This cellular defense is far more fundamental than the prevailing humoral theories of my time suggested. The phagocyte is truly the guardian of the organism, a concept I explored extensively in my comparative pathology studies.
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