MODIFICATIONS OF WASSERMANN REACTION 189 



-g , Bauer entirely excludes the immune hemolysin. His reaction requires 



Modifica- the followin S ingredients: 



1. Fresh guinea-pig's complement. 



2. Alcoholic organ extract. 



3. Five per cent, sheep's red blood corpuscles. 



4. and 5. The inactivated serum for examination and an inactive normal control 

 serum. 



Four tubes are required for the reaction: 



First tube: 0.2 serum, i.o c.cm. organ extract in dilution 1:5 and i c.cm. comple- 

 ment i : 10. 



Second tube: Same as i, but instead of organ extract, 0.85 per cent, sodium chloride. 



Third tube: 0.2 c.cm. normal serum, organ extract and complement as in tube i. 



Fourth tube: Same as third tube, but instead of organ extract 0.85 per cent, saline. 



The tubes are placed in the incubator for one-half hour and then i c.cm. of a 5 per 

 cent, red blood cell emulsion is added. 



After fifteen to forty-five minutes tubes 2, 3, and 4 show hemolysis, while tube i 

 shows hemolysis or not, depending upon the absence or presence of syphilis. 



Lipemic serum is not suitable for the reaction, 



Bauer asserts that this method gives results identical with those obtained by the 

 Wassermann tests. Heinrichs, Bering and others confirm Bauer's findings. 



If the alcoholic extract made from luetic or normal human or animal organs is 

 diluted with physiological saline, a milky opalescent solution results. The degree of 

 turbidity of the resulting solution depends upon the rapidity with which the saline for 

 dilution is added. If the first 15 to 20 drops of the latter are added slowly, the resulting 

 solution will be much more turbid than if the saline is added quickly. Sachs first 

 observed this phenomenon and stated that the more marked the turbidity the more 

 active is the power of the antigen to bind complement. 



The editor has worked with the guinea-pig's heart extract in thousands 

 of tests and has found it to give perfect results. The amount usually 

 used is 0.2 to o.i c.cra. in the first test-tube and o.i to 0.05 in the second 

 test-tube as determined by titration. When the antigen is diluted (either 

 1:5 or 1:10) the first c.cm. of saline should be added drop by drop and 

 shaken, thus producing a distinctly opalescent solution. 



The author refrains from describing any other modifications in detail 

 as they have not been verified sufficiently to merit a position in this 

 important field of serum diagnosis. This holds true especially for the 

 recently advised quick and easy short cuts by the use of the various 

 ingredients dried on paper. In order, however, that one may acquaint 

 himself with these modifications, if he so desires, the references to their 

 original publications are here given. 



Tschernogubow, Berlin. Klin. Wochenschr., 1908, No. 47, and Deutsche 

 Med. Wochenschr., 1909, No. 15. 



Weidanz, Deutsche Med. Wochenschr., 1908, No. 48, Refer. 



Noguchi, Journal of Americ. Medic. Associat., 1908, No. 22, u. 

 Munch. Med. Woch., 1909, No. 10. 



Hecht, Wien, Klin. Wochenschr., 1908, No. 50, and 1909, No. 10. 



