SERO-ENZYMES IN DISEASE 277 



formed by a competent serologist following all the prescribed precautions, 

 satisfactory results may be obtained in some cases, but errors beyond 

 the immediate control of the serologist are prone to be present and 

 greatly limit the practical value of the test. 



2. As the test is more likely to yield falsely positive than negative 

 results, a negative reaction is of some value in excluding pregnancy, 

 and particularly in those occasional cases presenting tumors in the 

 lower abdomen which may be due to advanced pregnancy or a neoplasm. 



3. The reaction may appear in the middle of the second month, and 

 disappear in from ten to fifteen days after pregnancy has been interrupted, 

 regardless of whether the fetus is born before, at, or after the normal 

 period of gestation. This test has generally failed, however, to reliably 

 detect pregnancy at a time when such a test is mostly needed, namely, 

 in the early stages and when the clinical diagnosis is doubtful. 



4. As it stands at present, the Abderhalden test has only a scientific 

 interest, but is worthy of further investigation; it has greatly stimulated 

 the study of the fermentative activities of the body fluids and particu- 

 larly of the blood. 



SERO-ENZYMES IN DISEASE 



Cancer. Freund and Abderhalden 1 claim to have found ferments 

 in the serum of cancer that will digest coagulated cancer protein in the 

 same manner as the ferments in pregnancy digest placental protein. 

 Frank and Heiman 2 reported positive results in 53 of 54 cases of cancer; 

 Markins and Munze, 3 Epstein, 4 Gambaroff, 5 Erpicum, 6 Brockman, 7 

 Lampe, 8 Lowy, 9 Ball, 10 and others have reported highly favorable results. 

 Frankle 11 and Lindig 12 have found the reactions generally non-specific 

 in character. 



Either the dialyzation or the optical method may be used in conduct- 

 ing these tests, precisely the same technic being followed as in making 

 the pregnancy tests, except that several different cancer tissues should be 



I Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1913, 14, 763. 

 2 Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 1913, 1, No. 14. 



3 Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 1913, 1, No. 17. 

 4 Wien. klin. Wochenschr., 1913, xxvi, No. 17. 



5 Berl. klin. Wochenschr., 1913, 1, No. 17. 



6 Bull, de 1'Acad. Roy. de Belg., 1913, xxvii, 624. 



7 Lancet, London, November 15, 1913. 



8 Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1914, Ixi, No. 9. 



9 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1914, Ixii, 437. 

 10 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1914, Ixii, 599. 



II Deutsch. med. Wochenschr., xl, No. 12. 



12 Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1913, 60, 288. 



