MENINGOCOCCUS MENINGITIS 251 



PLAGUE. 



Against plague also antisera have been produced, which seem to 

 be essentially of bactericidal nature (Yersin), though the preparation 

 of Lustig may have feeble antitoxic properties. Both the serum of 

 Lustig and that of Yersin have been tried out by the Plague Com- 

 mission of India, but the reports are not very encouraging. Whether 

 its use in combination with vaccination might not prove of greater 

 value than vaccination alone, and especially in persons who have 

 been actually exposed to the infection, future investigations will 

 have to decide, but would, a priori, seem likely. 



BACTERIOLYTIC-BACTERIOTROPIC IMMUNIZATION. 



Among the bacteriolytic-bacteriotropic immune sera which find 

 employment in the treatment of maladies to which the human being 

 is subject, the most important are those which are directed against 

 infections with the pyogenic cocci, viz., the meningococcus, the 

 streptococcus, the pneumococcus, the gonococcus, and the staphylo- 

 coccus. Of these the antimeningococcus serum is, however, prac- 

 tically the only one with which notable curative results have been 

 obtained. It will accordingly be considered in some detail, while the 

 remainder need not occupy our attention to any great degree. 



MENINGOCOCCUS MENINGITIS. 



Attempts to produce an antiserum for the treatment of meningo- 

 coccus meningitis in the human being have notably been made by 

 Flexner and Jobbling, Kolle and Wassermann, and Jochmann, and 

 it may be said that the efforts of all these investigators have been 

 crowned with a great degree of success. From the therapeutic 

 standpoint very little difference indeed appears to exist in the effi- 

 cacy of the three preparations in question, but there is still a good 

 deal of difference of opinion in regard to their mode of action. All 

 three contain agglutinins, precipitins, complement binqMng anti- 

 bodies, bacteriolysins, bacteriotropins, and possibly also some 

 antitoxins. From the different accounts that have been given, the 

 conclusion suggests itself that while antitoxins may possibly play 

 a role, this is unquestionably of minor importance when compared 



