ANTI-BODIES AFTER VACCINE INJECTIONS. 71 



after injection of cultures. Typhoid agglut in ins 'usually do not 

 appear in a typhoid patient's blood until after ten' days of the 

 disease have elapsed. Furthermore, it is noted that anti-toxins, 

 bactericidins and agglutinins can be enormously increased by 

 correct inter-spacing of injections and proper dosage. Wright 

 himself has called attention to the value of determining these 

 different substances in immunity before injections are repeated. 

 If injections are made entirely according to the opsonic index, they 

 may be made before the bactericidal and other protective sub- 

 stances have increased in amount, several negative phases may 

 thus be superimposed on each other, and the protective substances 

 be much decreased. With the role of opsonins in immunity in 

 doubt, the difference in sensibility of different species of microor- 

 ganisms to opsonins established, and the presence of marked 

 bacteriolytic action of certian sera for certain species of infecting 

 organisms observed, the control of the process of active immuni- 

 zation by the opsonic index alone does not seem justifiable. The 

 immune bodies of importance in immunity to the particular species 

 of bacteria ought to be established so that the dosage and inter- 

 spacing of injections could be regulated by determinations of the 

 presence of these substances. Meakins has, on this basis, studied 

 immunity to dysentery bacilli, Streptococcus pyogenes, Micro- 

 coccus pyogenes and Bacillus tuberculosis. Such methods would 

 undoubtedly result in a better accomplishment of a higher grade 

 of active immunity. 



It is necessary, however, to refer to the great success obtained 

 by Wright, and others following Wright's teachings, in the treat- 

 ment of bacterial infections and diseases according to the deter- 

 minations of the opsonic index. Wright has stated that he has 

 not achieved success only in a certain percentage of cases, but that 

 he has had uniform success by following his method of active im- 

 munization. Ross has given a list of diseases successfully treated 

 based on the determinations of the opsonic index. This list in- 

 cludes furunculosis, pustular acne, sycosis, cystitis, otitis media, 

 empyema, gleet, gonorrhoeal rheumatism, acute gonorrhoea, local- 

 ized tuberculosis, lupus, tuberculosis of the joints, bladder, kid- 

 ney, epididymis, glands, peritoneum, iris and lungs. Surely a 

 method that will give uniform success for as large a list of dis- 



