284 INFECTION AND IMMUNITY. 



demonstrated, however,, in a large number of in- 

 fections typhoid, paratyphoid, streptococcus in- 

 fections (including streptococcus infections of 

 scarlet fever), pneumonia, dysentery, diphtheria, 

 etc. 



Kolle and Wassermann have demonstrated com- 

 plement fixation in meningitis and suggest the use 

 of the reaction to determine the strength of men- 

 ingococcus antiserum. 



Eegarding the presence of antituberculin in the 

 blood of tuberculous animals and man, conflicting 

 results are reported. It would appear that com- 

 plement fixation reaction is inconstant during the 

 course of tuberculosis and that the reaction occurs 

 more constantly after the use of therapeutic in- 

 oculations of tuberculin and especially of emul- 

 sions of tubercle bacilli. 



complement It occurred to Wassermann that bv using: ex- 

 Deviation , , ,. ... 

 in syphilis, tracts of tissues containing antigen, complement 



deviation antibodies might be found in infections 

 in which the antigen could not be cultivated. By 

 the use of syphilitic tissues he immunized apes 

 against syphilis and by using such syphilitic tissues 

 as antigen found complement deviation antibodies 

 in the serum of the immunized apes. 



Wassermann, Neisser and Bruck, in 1906, pub- 

 lished the results of these experiments together 

 with a method adapting them to the serodiagnosis 

 of syphilis which has become nommonly known as 

 the Wassermann reaction. Since the spirochetes 

 of syphilis were known to be found in extreme 

 numbers in the liver of the syphilitic fetus, an 

 aqueous extract of this organ was used as antigen. 

 To this extract was added the inactivated serum 



