278 



FERMENTS AND ANTIFERMENTS 



used with each serum. It is well to make the experiment with a number 

 of cancer tissues taken from various parts, also with sarcoma tissue and 

 that of various benign tumors. 



Mental Diseases. Fauser 1 has studied the serums of 88 cases of 

 dementia pra?cox and other mental diseases with various antigens com- 

 posed of the ductless glands, testicles, ovaries, etc., and attained in- 

 teresting results, tending to show that in many of these brain affections 

 there may be associated lesions in other organs, and that the symptoms 

 may be due to perverted functions of certain ductless glands. Munzer, 2 

 Bundschue and Roener, 3 and Fisher 4 have also found in the serums of 

 mental and nervous diseases ferments for the protein of the ductless and 

 generative glands, tending to show that lesions of these organs may be 

 operative in the symptomatology of these conditions. 



Syphilis. Baeslack 5 has reported having had exceptionally good 

 results with the serums of syphilitics and a substratum composed of 

 coagulated syphilitic lesions of rabbit's testicle. Using the dialyzation 

 method, he found the sero-enzyme test more constant and earlier than 

 the Wassermann reaction. 



Tuberculosis and Acute Infections. Abderhalden and Andryewsky 6 

 have suggested the use of the dialyzation or the optic method in the 

 diagnosis of acute infections. The peptone may either be prepared of 

 the bacilli, or the boiled organisms used in the dialyzing shell. In pre- 

 paring a bacterial substratum, the material must be carefully centri- 

 fuged in order to facilitate washing. The tubercle bacilli are degreased 

 by extraction in fat solvents. According to Abderhalden, the presence 

 of ferments in acute infections indicates that the animal is defending 

 itself. Abderhalden and Andryewsky found ferments present m the 

 serum of cattle receiving injections of suspensions of dead tubercle 

 bacilli and in experimental infections, and suggest that the test may 

 prove efficacious in testing cattle. This work should receive further 

 study in human infections. Smith, 7 employing Bronfenbrenner's modi- 

 fication of the Abderhalden test, has reported highly specific results 

 in the differentiation of various bacteria with rabbit immune sera. 



1 Deutsch. med. Wochenschr., 1913, xxxix, No. 7. 



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



3 Deutsch. med. Wochenschr., 1913, No. 42, 2069. 



4 Deutsch. med. Wochenschr., 1913, No. 44, 2138. 



6 Jour. Amer. Med. Assoc., 1914, Ixii, 1002; ibid., Ixiii, 559. 



6 Munch, med. Wochenschr., 1913, Ixi, 1641. 



7 Jour. Infect. Dis., 1916, 18, 14. 



