THE OPSONIC INDEX 



239 



of patients, wherein bacterins are contra-indicated, 



namely, those already overwhelmed by their infection. 



In addition to its value as a control of treatment in 



bacterin therapy, the opsonic index, in expert hands. 



A. B. 



Fig. 34. — Pneumonia. A, recovery; B, death; , curve of opsonins (I); 



1 , curve of temperature (T). Observe in the favorable case a rise in the opsonic 



index coincidently with the fall in temperature. (Gigiioli and Stradotti.) 



has been utilized both diagnostically and prognosti- 

 cally ( Figs. 33 and 34 ) . An important sphere of its 

 utility may be in the determination of the degree of 

 animal immunization and standardization of sera, and 

 has been so employed by the authors. Its value in a 



