314 



BIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCOCCUS 



THE INFLUENCE OF ENZYME THERAPY UPON MORTALITY-RATE IN 



EXPERIMENTAL TYPE III PNEUMOCOCCUS PNEUMONIA 



IN MONKEYS* 



* Classified on the basis of height of septicemia in first three days. 

 + The numbers in parentheses in the left-hand column equal the cocci present in 

 one cubic centimeter of blood. 



The condensed results of experiments on forty monkeys are 

 given in the accompanying table. The figures in the table represent 

 only the recovery or death of the monkeys, and do not give in de- 

 tail the effect of the enzyme on the course of the pneumococcal in- 

 fection. As Francis, Terrell, Dubos, and Avery reported, it can 

 readily be seen that in the groups in which no invasion of the blood 

 occurred, spontaneous recovery was to be uniformly expected, 

 whereas in the extremely severe forms of the disease the great ma- 

 jority of animals were too completely prostrated to respond to 

 any therapeutic aids. Further comment of the authors on the ac- 

 tion of the enzyme upon the infected monkeys can best be given in 

 their own words : 



In addition to the apparently beneficial effects of specific enzyme 

 therapy as measured by survival or death of the animals, certain other 

 favorable influences were observed. In a high percentage of cases in 



