TUBERCULIN THERAPY 199 



Tuberculin has also been given per rectum either 

 in dosage of 0.001 milligramme " T. R." in normal 

 serum or in the form of suppositories as recommended 

 by Lissauer. Suppositories of " O. T." are obtain- 

 able, the doses ranging from one to five hundred milli- 

 grammes. 



Tuberculin therapy by mouth, and to a less extent 

 by rectum, thus far has not been and probably never 

 will be very favorably received by the profession. 



The physiological action of tuberculin, locally, 

 focally, and generally, has been sufficiently described 

 in the foregoing chapter (see page 173). 



Control of Tuberculin Treatment. — Specific ther- 

 apy under no circumstances invites or permits relaxa- 

 tion in the general hygienic and dietetic management 

 of the case. 



Tuberculin therapy may be controlled by (1) the 

 opsonic index or (2) the clinical symptomatology. 



The opsonic control of Wright (see Chapter XX) 

 has comparatively few adherents in the treatment of 

 tuberculosis, although Wright and his school have 

 found it particularly well adapted to govern the inocu- 

 lations in surgical tuberculosis. They believe that so 

 long as the opsonic index remains in the positive 

 phase, further and particularly increased dosage is 

 unnecessary and inadvisable. 



The clinical symptomatology serves as the popular 



