372 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



remaining forms of meningo-encephalomyelitis (meningitis cerebrospinalis en- 

 zootica) and rewritten. 



A study of Bacterium mallei, with special reference to the " komige " 

 form, II. Clakkk {('onicll Vet., Jf (I'JJo), No. Jf, pp. 16.'f-170). — " B. mallei does 

 not form gas or acid in the sugars studied. It coagulates millc in from 10 to 20 

 days. The morphology of D. mallei varies in different strains. The so-called 

 ' kornige ' form exists in certain strains obtained from animal tissues and cul- 

 tures. This form as far as could be determined has no relation to virulence." 



A quantitative application of the Abderhalden serum test, D. D. Van 

 Slyke and Miriam A'inogbad {Ahu. in Proe. Soc. Eapt. Biol, and Med., 11 

 (191^), No. 5, p. 15It). — The authors claim that the Alderhalden serum test may 

 be greatly simplified, made quantitative, and the sensitiveness increased about 

 thii"ty-fold as compared with the dialysis test, by utilizing the nitrous acid 

 method to detect proteolysis. 



"The technique is the following: 2 cc. of serum is digested with 0.1 gm. of 

 dried substrat (tissue prepared according to Abderhalden's directions and dried 

 quickly at 0.5 mm.), or, as nearly as can be estimated, 0.4 gm. of undried sub- 

 strat. After the digestion is complete, 3 cc. of water is added. The solution 

 is then centrifuged and 2 cc. used for amino nitrogen determination in the 

 microapparatus, 0.5 cc. of caprylic alcohol being used to avoid foaming and the 

 reaction being run four minutes. Control analyses are run under the same con- 

 ditions with serum that has been digested with normal tissue, and with no 

 tissue. The amino method will detect one-fourth the concentration of a-NH- 

 that is apparent by the ninhydrin reaction, and the serum is diluted only one- 

 eighth as much in the above procedure as in the dialysis test, so that the sensi- 

 tiveness is increased about thirty-fold." 



In spite of the results yielded by the test absolutely negative results were 

 obtained with the Rous chicken sarcomas Nos. 1 and 2, even when the serum 

 tested came from the chicken furnishing the tissue substrat. The results ob- 

 tained are said not to bear on the validity of the test in human cases. The 

 method is now to be tested in human cancer and in pregnancy. 



Serum sensitization as related to dosage of antitoxin in man and animals, 

 W. H. Park, L. W. Famulener, and E. J. Banzhaf {Jour. Infect. Diseases, 

 14 (1914), No. 2, pp. 347-350, figs. 3).— "The results obtained in two men and 

 in two goats showed no appreciable difference in the absorption curves of anti- 

 toxin before and after sensitization. The variations that occurred in the cases 

 appeared to be due to the inherent individual characteristics of the persons and 

 animals injected and not to the sensitization. 



" It is concluded that the large amounts of antitoxin injected in the treat- 

 ment of diphtheria are neither bound nor destroyed appreciably by any globulin 

 antibodies pi'esent in the blood of those previously injected. The same quantity 

 of antitoxin is therefore indicated in the treatment of diphtheria whether the 

 case has or has not received a previous injection of horse serum or globulins." 



Influence of protein content on the absorption of antitoxin and agglutinin 

 injected subcutaneously, W. H. Park, L. W. Famulener. and E. J. Benzhaf 

 (Jour. Infect. Diseases, 14 {1914), No. 2, pp. 338-346, fig. i).— "The degree of 

 protein concentration which is usually employed to produce the refined and con- 

 centrated diphtheria antitoxic globulin preparations has little or no effect in 

 retarding the absorption of the antitoxin from the subcutaneous tissues. The 

 removal of water, if not pushed too far, is therefore a justifiable means of less- 

 ening the quantity of fluid to be injected. 



"Any preparation which causes local inflammatory reaction lessens the rate 

 of antitoxin absorption." 



