THYROID IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES 81 
which did not produce an amboceptor of sufficient titer 
when injected with sheep corpuscles. In both animals 
the administration of thyroid was followed by a marked 
increase of hemolytic power. 
These facts prove that not all authors agree upon the 
role of the endocrine organs in immunology, but many 
of them admit a highly important relation between the 
thyroid and the formation of antibodies. Still one other 
remark may be added: Gley (24), has introduced the 
word “tachyphylaxia” into physiology. This means 
that often after a first injection of an extract of an 
endocrine organ, that is followed by a marked physi- 
ological effect, a second injection has little or no effect 
at all. This so-called tachyphylaxis does not seem to 
exist in the influence of thyroid injections on immune 
bodies. In the experiments of Miiller, a second injec- 
tion of thyroid always gave a still larger increase of 
the amount of complement than the first one. Miiller 
even found that when in an animal thyroidectomy was 
performed, injections of thyroid could produce a serum 
higher in complement than was even seen in normal 
animals when similarly injected. 
But enough of these general remarks. This bibli- 
ography is by no means exhaustive; and it cannot be 
the aim of this paper to give a complete list of authors 
and titles. Those reading Italian and interested in this 
subject, may find much material in Barbara’s book that ~ 
may be warmly recommended. Let us now discuss the 
importance and clinical value of thyroid preparations 
in syphilis and typhoid fever. 
THYROID EXTRACT IN SYPHILIS 
The thyroid treatment of syphilis should have an 
enormous importance in medicine. All the same, its 
existence is hardly known to general practitioners, 
though this form of therapy is not at all new. Gordon 
(25), Eye Piece (26), and Menzies (27), saw splendid 
