264 LOCAL ILSSUE REACTIVITY 



that llic rc'a(tiii<4 ])()lciu\ ol scniin prc(i pi talcs may orii^inatc 

 liom cither ol tlic ingredients ol seruin-j-antiscriiin mixtures. 

 \^ery little kno\\ie(l<>e exists as yet as to the jiroc esses imohed in 

 production ol reacting j)otency in antigen + antihody comjilexes, 

 but the lacts again jjoint to the existence ol some undetermined 

 (juality in the ingrecUents responsible tor the resulting potency ot 

 the complexes. 



REACTING POTENCY OF PURIFIED HORSE SERA AND ANTISERA 



Tetanus and diphtlieria antitoxic horse sera purified by the 

 Ne^v York City Board of Health and rejjresenting ^vater soluble 

 serum globulin, formed al)undant precipitates when mixed ^vith 

 anti-horse rabbit serum. \'arious dilutions ol antitoxins ranging 

 from 1:2 to 1:128 mixed with undiluted anti-horse rabbit serum 

 were de\oid of reacting potency. Mixtures of the same anti- 

 horse rabbit serum ^vith non-purilied immune and normal horse 

 sera gave positixe results. The lack of reacting potency in com- 

 binations of purified sera ^vith antisera may be due either to 

 degradation of the protein occurring in the process of purifica- 

 tion or to elimination of some of the protein fractions. Other 

 serum fractions have not been tested as yet. In a few experiments 

 the combinations of purified pneumococcus and iTieningococcus 

 immune sera (Eli Lilly &; Co. and the New York City Board of 

 Health) representing w^ater insoluble globulin fractions with anti- 

 horse rabbit serum gave positive results. The experiments should 

 be repeated and other serum fractions also tested. 



REACTING POTENCY OF MIXTURES OF INACTIVE BACTERIAL 

 PREPARATIONS WITH SPECIFIC IMMUNE SERA 



Pneumococcus preparations employed here ^vere found to be by 

 themselves totally devoid of active principles in a dose of 4 c.c. 

 per kilo of body weight, at the time of these tests. Mixtures of 

 inactive pneumococcus filtrates were then made in proportion of 

 3:1 with normal horse serum, anti-pneumococcus Type III horse 

 serum, and anti-pneumococcus Type I horse serum. Mixtures of 

 Type III filtrates with anti-pneumococcus Type III serum in- 

 jected into the blood stream were able to elicit severe hemt:)r- 

 rhagic necrosis in skin sites prepared with B. fyl)}iosits "agar 

 washings" filtrates. Mixtures of pneumococcus Type III prepara- 

 tions with normal horse serum and anti-pneumococcus immune 

 serum of heterologous types possessed no reacting potency. Inas- 



