1916] VETERINARY MEDICINE. 575 



due to streptococci during the negative phase after treatment with a " polyvalent 

 antistreptococcus serum " and vaccines now in use, the author has prepared a 

 new polj'Valent antistreptococcus vaccine with sensitized virus. The vaccine 

 is obtained from several strains of sensitized streptococci, which are subse- 

 quently allowed to sterilize themselves or are killed at low temperatures. The 

 method of preparation is described in detail. 



Experimental results submitted show that horses stand small and moderate 

 doses very well which cause no perceptible general reaction when injected sub- 

 cutaneously. The local reactions are restricted to an edema which afterward 

 hardens and is reabsorbed without forming an abscess. A general effect which 

 may last several days and is undoubtedly due to the absorption and action of the 

 endotoxins produced by the streptococci is manifested after the injection of 

 large doses (50 cc). For horses of average size the most suitable dose was 

 found to be 25 cc. An active Immunity sets in immediately after the injection 

 and is very complete and lasting. 



The vaccine also appears to possess undoubted therapeutic properties. This 

 action, though limited, indirectly insures that the vaccine when used for prophy- 

 lactic purposes will not produce any negative phase. It can therefore be used to 

 advantage in cases of adenitis as well as in suspected infections. 



Nitric acid compared with tincture of iodin in the cauterization of wounds 

 infected with rabies virus, D. W. Poor (Collected Studies Bur. Lab. Dept. 

 nealth N. Y. City, 8 (1914-15), pp. Ill, 112).—B.esu\ts obtained from experi- 

 ments on three series of eight guinea pigs each show that 75 per cent of the 

 control animals died after an average incubation of 14f days. Of the animals 

 cauterized with nitric acid only 37.5 per cent died, indicating a saving of 37.5 

 per cent by means of the acid. Two of the pigs in this group which died of 

 rabies showed an average incubation of 22.5 days, a lapse of time that would 

 permit of a course of Pasteur treatment with a subsequent interval of two 

 weeks for the full development of immunity. Pigs which had their wounds 

 treated with tincture of iodin showed a mortality of 100 per cent. Seven of the 

 animals had an average incubation of 1S| days, and one an incubation period 

 of 29 days. 



The practical significance of these results is indicated. 



Further studies of biological methods for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, 

 J. BKO^;FENBKEN^'EK, M. H. Kahn, J. RocKMAN, and M. Kahn (Arch. Int. Med., 

 17 (1916), No. 4, pp. 492-50S) .—From a further study of the value of biological 

 methods of diagnosis of tuberculosis the authors conclude that " different 

 samples of tuberculin of Besredka, though apparently identical in the mode of 

 their preparation, may differ among themselves in their specific values. 



" The most striking variation is in the amount of lipins contained in tubercu- 

 lin. It is necessary to free each sample of tuberculin of all its lipin fraction 

 before using such tuberculin for the complement deviation test. The lipins 

 may be extracted by fat solvents, but the easiest method was found to be that 

 of separation of the protein fraction by precipitation. Precipitation of the anti- 

 genic fraction of tuberculin also offei-s the possibility of using a standard num- 

 ber of units of antigen and thus eliminating variations due to the quantitative, 

 differences in specific properties of different samples of tuberculin, without in- 

 creasing the chance of obtaining lipotropic reactions. 



" It seems, however, that different samples of tuberculin may vary also 

 qualitatively. The variation rests apparently on the fact of the existence of 

 strain specificity in the antibody. The existence of strain specificity in tuber- 

 culosis may explain why the results obtained by different investigators in the 

 complement-deviation test for diagnosis of tuberculosis vary so much. 



