688 ABSTRACTS 



cc. and has fixed in quantities as low as 0.02 cc. Sera from 190 pa- 

 tients have been tested and positive reactions were obtained in the 89 

 actively tuberculous cases while 93 cHnically negative cases gave no 

 fixation.— W. J. M. 



Complement Fixation in Tuberculosis. H. R. Miller and Hans 

 Zinsser. Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol, and Med., 1916, 13, 134. 

 The antigen is made by grinding 0.020 gram of moist tubercle ba- 

 cilli with 0.090 gram salt for one hour, then adding 10 cc. of distilled 

 water. The results in 602 cases are reported. Out of 226 patients 

 with clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis, 223 gave positive complement 

 fixation. In 88 cases of arrested tuberculosis, the reaction was nega- 

 tive in 54, weak in 21 and positive in 13. Of 140 doubtful cases, 32, 

 gave positive fixation and in some of these 32 a diagnosis of tuberculosis 

 was subsequently made. Forty-five positive Wassermann sera were 

 tested, 2 only giving a positive fixation with the tubercle antigen. 

 One of these two patients was shown to have tuberculous peritonitis. 

 The fixation seems to be positive only in active tuberculosis. — W. J. M. 



A Review of the Complement Fixation Test in Tuberculosis. H. A. 



Miller. Jour. Lab. and Clin. Med., 1916, 1, 816-822. 



The complement fixation test in tuberculosis has given fair results 

 with a variety of antigens. Bacillary emulsions, tuberculins and ex- 

 tracts of bacilli are all available antigens. Particularly successful 

 results have been obtained with the antigen of Miller and Zinsser. 

 This is prepared by triturating living or dead bacilli with dry crystals 

 of ordinary table salt, then adding distilled water up to isotonicity. 

 This antigen is ahnost invariably positive with active cases, negative 

 in arrested cases, and gives no cross fixation with luetic sera. — M. W. C. 



A Modification of Romer's Intracutaneous Method for the Determination 

 of Small Amounts of Diphtheria Antitoxin in Blood Sera. Abraham 

 ZiNGHER. Proc. N. Y. Pathol. Soc, 1916, 16, 49. 

 A standard, well-ripened toxin is freshly diluted with salt solution 

 so that 1 cc. represents y|o L+ dose. The serum to be tested is used 

 undiluted and in dilutions of 1 : 10, 1 : 100, 1 : 1000 and 1 : 10,000. Of 

 each serimi dilution, 0.2 cc. is added to 0.2, 0.4, 1.0 and 2.0 cc. of the 

 diluted toxin in four tubes and salt solution, 0.0, 0.2, 0.8 and 1.8 cc, 

 is added to the respective mixtures, which are allowed to stand 30 

 minutes before being injected. The injections are made intracutane- 

 ously into the abdomen of guinea pigs, four widely separated injections 

 to each animal, the dose being 0.2 cc in each instance. The local 

 appearance of the skin is recorded daily for four days. As little as 

 ^ J^ unit of antitoxin in a serum can be estimated with a fair degree of 

 accuracy. — W. J. M. 



