GONOCOCCUS SERUM. 555 



become subacute or chronic. It has been suggested 

 that the condition in chronic gonorrhea may be 

 one of "mutual habituation between the mucous 

 membrane and the gonococcus," i. e., a habituation 

 between this particular mucous membrane and 

 this particular gonococcus. Because of prolonged 

 existence under unvarying conditions, the growth 

 energy of the organism may have become less, 

 whereas, if it is placed in a slightly different me- 

 dium (transference to another individual), its 

 growth energy (ability to proliferate), becomes 

 augmented, and reinfection of the original host 

 with the same strain becomes possible. 



It has often been noted that subsequent attacks 

 run a milder course than the primary infection, 

 but susceptibility is always present. 



Mendez, Calvino, and also de Christmas have immunity. 

 immunized with the coccus or toxic substances 

 prepared from it. By growing the organism in 

 serum bouillon de Christmas prepared a toxin, 

 the toxicity of which was tested by intracerebral 

 injections in the guinea-pig. Immunization of 

 the guinea-pig resulted in a serum with antitoxic 

 properties. Corroborative work has not been pub- 

 properties. Torrey has shown that by immuniza- 

 tion of animals a serum may readily be produced 

 which contains specific bacteriolysins, agglutinins, 

 precipitins and complement deviation antibodies. 

 Hamilton and others have found that in gonor- 

 rheal vulvovaginitis the opsonic index is low in 

 early stages and in those in which recovery does 

 not take place, and becomes higher with recovery. 



Torrey in 1906 prepared an antigonococcus 

 serum by immunization of rabbits. Since that nation. 

 time, a number of different serums have been pre- 



