142 APPLIED IMMUNOLOGY 



tive results would be obtained in positive cases; (2) 

 an antigen prepared from many strains fixes the com- 

 plement whenever one of its component strains does 

 so, and consequently the necessity of testing a serum 

 against a number of antigens separately is avoided. 

 It is not to be denied that there probably are other 

 strains of gonococci differing widely from any pres- 

 ent in the polyvalent antigen, so that at times a nega- 

 tive result will be obtained in a positive case." 



While we recognize the fact that a negative reac- 

 tion may mean nothing, in fact, may be erroneously 

 contradictory, the significance, on the other hand, of a 

 positive reaction has been so great — more specific, in 

 fact, than when the lipotropic antigen, commonly em- 

 ployed in the performance of the Wassermann reac- 

 tion, is utilized — that we have applied the test in a large 

 series of diverse cases with the most gratifying results. 



Discussion of Technic, — Schwartz's method and 

 the technic which we practiced for a time in compari- 

 son with our own gonococcus complement-fixation 

 test is as follows, so far as the quantities of the ingre- 

 dients participating in the reaction are concerned: (1) 

 patient's serum, 0.02 c.c; (2) salt solution, sufficient 

 to equalize the volume in each tube ; (3) antigen (rou- 

 tinely 0.3 c.c. in one tube and 0.15 c.c. in another tube, 

 of a commercial preparation diluted 1 to 10). These 

 quantities are determined by preliminary standardiza- 



