424 LOCAL TISSUE REACITVITY 



ticiits: c'ij^lit inoiitlis, one paliciit: scxcn inontlis, 2 patients; li\c 

 moiitlis, one |)aticMit: lour niontlis, ■■1, jjalicnts; llncc months, one 

 patient; two months, (i j)alients, and one month, 9, patients. In 

 14 oi tliese patients there \vas no reciirrente ol nasal bleedinu,. In 

 the other 7 patients there were occasional mild episodes oi epi- 

 staxis. In every one, liowever, there was no doubt that a beneficial 

 effect vvas recognized after the administration of the snake venom. 

 The possible value of this method of treatment seems to be 

 brought out ])y the fact that the patients treated with the moc- 

 casin venom received no other additional treatment. 



RECAPITULATION 



Inasmuch as the active princ iples of the phenomenon of local 

 tissue reactivity bear a close resemblance to true exotoxins, at- 

 tempts have been made to utilize the phenomenon for practical 

 serum therajjy. 



The netUralizing potency of anti-meningococcus therapeutic 

 sera can be demonstrated and quantitatively measured by means 

 of the phenomenon. 



The titer of neutralizing antibodies of sera determined by this 

 method bears no apparent relationship to the titer of agglutinins. 

 The majority of the sera that are at present used therapeutically 

 are poor in neutralizing antibodies. 



A prolonged period of immunization with toxic filtrates and 

 live cultures is necessary for development of potent neutralizing 

 anti-meningococcus sera. The concentration of neutralizing anti- 

 bodies in horses under treatment is subject to wide fluctuations 

 and may drop suddenly in spite of persistent immunization, vvhilst 

 the agglutination and precipitation titers remain stationary. 



There are certain indications of serological group and variant 

 specificity of meningococcus active principles. The meningococcus 

 active ])rinciples possess a definite antigenicity and may stimulate 

 in horses under treatment the production of neutralizing anti- 

 bodies well above normal expectancy. There exists scanty although 

 suggesti\ely favorable information upon the effect of the phenom- 

 enon-neiUralizing anti-meningococcus sera ujion human cases of 

 meningococcus meningitis. 



Attempts have been made to develop an anti-t)phoid serimi of 

 a standardized phenomenon-neutralizing potency for treatment of 

 ty]:)hoid lexer patients. In certain cases there was observed a 



