Streptococcus Pyogenes 295 



Specific Therapy The treatment of staphylococcus in- 

 fections with immune serum has not met with encouraging 

 success. Viquerat* has experimented in this direction and 

 found that goats are best adapted to the manufacture of 

 the serum ; but the literature of medicine contains very little 

 mention of beneficial results following the employment of 

 " antistaphylococcus serum." 



Although specific serums have failed, a promising form of 

 specific treatment for subacute and chronic staphylococcic 

 infections has been introduced by A. E. W right, f who first 

 isolates from the lesion the particular strain of staphylococci 

 by which it is caused, cultivates this artificially, suspends 

 the organisms in an indifferent fluid, of which a given quantity 

 contains a known (counted) number, kills the organisms by 

 heating them for an hour at 60 C., and then uses them by 

 subcutaneous injection for producing increased resistance 

 on the part of the patient. 



The treatment is controlled by studying the "opsonic 

 index" (q. v.), the objects being the avoidance of the "nega- 

 tive phase" or condition of diminished resistance, and the 

 progressive establishment of the positive phase or stage of 

 increased resistance. As the resistance increases, the patient 

 rapidly improves, and many cases of obstinate acne, furun- 

 culosis, and other pyogenic infections have quickly recovered 

 under this treatment. 



STAPHYLOCOCCUS CITREUS (PASSET). 



An organism identical in many respects with the pre- 

 ceding, except that its growth on agar-agar and potato is 

 of a brilliant lemon-yellow color and its pathogenicity for 

 animals doubtful, is Staphylococcus citreus of Passet.J As 

 it is not common and is doubtfully pathogenic, it is of much 

 less importance than the previously described organisms. 



STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES (ROSENBACH). 



General Characteristics. The streptococcus is a non-motile, non- 

 flagellate, non-sporogenous, non-liquefying, non-chromogenic, aerobic 

 and optionally anaerobic, spheric organism, infectious for man and the 



; "Zeitschrift fur Hygiene," xvm, 1894, p. 483. 



t "Lancet," March 29, 1902, p. 874; "Brit. Med. Jour.," May 9, 

 '903, p. 1069. 



t " Untersuchungen uber die Aetiologie der eitrigen Phlegmone des 

 Menschen," Berlin, 1885. p. 9. 



