BIOCHEMICAL REACTIONS 163 



it is the exception in purely functional psychoses, and 

 that the test promises to become of great value when 

 the technic, which at present is open to many errors, 

 has been perfected. 



Meiostagmin Reaction 

 Ascoli discovered that when a bacterial extract 

 and the specific antibody produced by it in blood- 

 serum were brought together a lowering of surface 

 tension occurs, as shown by an increase in the nmiiber 

 of drops in the fluid. The number of drops can be 

 conveniently measured by Traube's stalagmometer. 

 As an illustration, it may be found that a certain mix- 

 ture of normal serum and extract of typhoid bacilli 

 shows 50 drops; while a mixture of the same quanti- 

 ties of serum from a typhoid case and the extract of 

 typhoid bacilli will show 52 drops. This phenomenon 

 has been observed in the case of several diseases, in- 

 cluding tuberculosis, anchylostoma, and echinococcus 

 disease. For all these diseases, however, there are 

 simpler clinical tests than the meiostagmin reaction. 

 This reaction promises to be of some importance in 

 the diagnosis of malignant tumors, particularly car- 

 cinoma. In this case the serum of the suspected pa- 

 tient is tested with an extract made from cancer tis- 

 sue. It has also been found that an extract made 

 from beef pancreas answers the purpose as well. An 

 extract of the dried tumor tissue or pancreas is made 



