740 



THE SPIROCILETE OF SYPHILIS 



In cases of general paralysis cerebro-spinal fluid must be used in place of 

 blood serum. This fluid does not need to be heated because it contains no 

 complement. 



III. Complement. Use guinea-pig complement prepared and titrated as 

 described at p. 235. 



IV. Haemolytic system. Use sheep red cells and heated (inactivated) anti- 

 sheep rabbit serum (p. 234). 



Experimental data. 



The reagents being prepared and titrated it is necessary, in order that the 

 test may be quite reliable, to have in addition some serum from a person 

 suffering from syphilis which is known to give a distinctly positive reaction 

 and some serum from a non-syphilitic person which gives a negative reaction. 

 In this way a series of controls is available for comparison and the chances 

 of error are, as far as possible, avoided. 



The experiment will be arranged as follows in accordance with the rules 

 laid down on p. 236. 



Chemical methods of serum diagnosis. 



These methods are based on the fact that certain reagents while having no 

 action on normal serum produce a precipitate when brought in contact with 

 syphilitic serums. The results are perhaps less constant than those obtained 

 by Wassermann's reaction. 



Methods of Forges and Meyer. Syphilitic serum generally produces a pre- 

 cipitate when mixed with lecithin whereas normal serum does not under 

 similar circumstances produce a precipitate. 



Technique. 1. Triturate in an. agate mortar 0*20 gram of ovo-lecithin 

 (Merck) adding in small quantities at a time 100 c.c. of normal saline solution. 



