1897 THE MICROSCOPE. 41 
Injections of Ass’s Serum in Malignant Disease. 
ARLOING and CouRMONT report (Bud/ de [ Acad. de Med.) 
the results of a number of experiments on the therapeutic 
effect of injections of ass’s serum, normal or previously 
inoculated with epithelioma juice, in patients suffering 
from malignant tumors, Their conclusions may be 
given in their own words: (1) Injections of ass’s serum; 
previously inoculated with epithelioma juice made in the 
human subject in the neighborhood of malignant tumors, 
or even of preventing their generalization and the fatal 
issue of the disease. (2) Thev may, nevertheless, be 
useful by inducing a momentary diminution in the size 
ot the tumors, probably by a regression of the peripheral 
inflamatory zone. This action may be the starting point 
of acure by rendering operable a tumor which was _ in- 
operable before the injections. Most frequently it will 
cause amonentary disappearance of the symptons of com- 
pression—pains, edema. The general evolution of the dis- 
ease will some times be checked for several weeks. (3) Ass’s 
serum so prepared has seemed to us to contain toxic sab- 
stances which do not exist in equal quantity in normal ass's 
serum. These substances accumulate in the organism or 
predispose it insuch a manner that at a given moment 
they produce (at least in cancerous subjects) reaction 
symptoms (edema, purpura, various eruptions, ete.), 
about the site of puncture, or even at a distance. These 
symptoms appear on an average after the. fifth injection, 
and at an interval of time nearer to the puncture in pro- 
portion to the time that has elapsed since the beginning 
of treatment; they disappear at the end of some hours 
orsome days. They are frequently accompanied by con- 
stitutional symptons (elevation of temperature, anorexia, 
insomnia, etc.), About the fifteenth injection the pa- 
tients refuse to go on with the treatment. (4) With nor- 
mal ass’s serum we have obtained the same shrinkage of 
