146 APPLIED IMMUNOLOGY 



Analysis of Cases Treated. — The result of our 

 work has been Httle more than a corroboration of the 

 reports that have emanated from Schwartz and 

 McXeil and those who have confirmed their results. 

 We believe, however, that, by utilizing the teclmic 

 herein described, we have added to the accuracy of the 

 test as applied by them and have thereby improved the 

 findings to the credit of the test and its value in clinical 

 diagnosis. To the increased positive results we at- 

 tribute the accurate standardization of antigen on each 

 occasion and the employment of a standardized single 

 complement unit. 



Reviewing our experience with the gonococcus 

 complement-fixation test in general, it may be stated 

 that a negative reaction is not decisive against the 

 presence of a gonorrhoeal infection, and this is par- 

 ticularly true during the first six weeks of a primary 

 acute urethritis either anterior or posterior in the ab- 

 sence of any complication, previous to which time 

 we have never obtained a positive reaction; on the 

 other hand, the supervention, even during the acute 

 stage of the disease, of complications such as epididy- 

 mitis, arthritis, prostatitis, etc., is prone to result in 

 the production of a positive reaction. On the con- 

 trary in our experience, a positive reaction has been 

 pathognomonic of a focus of gonococcal infection and 

 has assisted many times in elucidating obscure or 



