THE NONSPECIFIC REACTION 49 



3Y 0. to 38 C., Group II Hysteria, 1 



(98.6-100 F.) Achylia, 1 



Icterus, 1 

 Acromegaly, 1 

 Chlorosis, 1 



Posthemorrhagic Anemia, 2 

 Gonitis, 1 

 Polyarthritis, 3 

 Chronic Arthritis, 2 

 Carcinoma, 8 

 Diabetes, 3 

 Cholecystitis, 1 



38 C. to 39 C., Group III Tuberculosis, 4 



(100 to 102 F.) Gumma, Liver, 1 



Hemophilia, 1 



It is of peculiar interest to observe the relative resistance of the carci- 

 noma cases of this series to temperature response following the injections 

 (most of these were stomach and esophageal cases). The reactivity of the 

 neoplasms varies greatly some observers report rather violent reactions; 

 others, such as Schmidt, believe that they are examples of decided resist- 

 ance. It seems most probable that the reaction depends largely on the 

 amount of necrosis present in the tumor, its vascularity and its ana- 

 tomical position. Schmidt correlated this relative resistance to the milk 

 injections with his previous observations concerning the relatively low 

 "Infection Index" of carcinoma patients and their resistance to vaccines. 

 Wetzel believes that the absence of a febrile reaction to parenteral injection 

 of milk is not constant enough to aid in diagnosis, although it is occasionally 

 conspicuous in diabetes and cancer. 



Schmidt noticed that the reaction was independent of the dosage 

 to a considerable degree, although after one or more doses had been 

 given, the reaction became less marked. It depended to a large degree 

 on the individual, and the type of the disease. Thus in a normal 

 person one can inject as much as 1 c.c. of a 10% solution of al- 

 bumose without appreciable temperature reaction or constitutional 

 effect of any nature. In an arthritic patient the same injection 

 may raise the temperature two or three degrees; in a typhoid or 

 tuberculous patient by as much as five degrees (F.). On the other 

 hand, when the same dose is injected in a pneumonic patient who 

 already has a high temperature (let us say 103 F.) the tempera- 

 ture may not be increased, or may actually show a decline without 

 any preliminary increase after the injection. 



Habetin, using 0.5 gm. of sodium nucleate subcutaneously in a 

 series of some 60-odd patients ill with a variety of diseases, classified 

 his reactions according to the system of Schmidt. 



It will be observed that the most marked pyrogenic effect is manifest 

 in diseases involving hematopoietic organs and those in which definite 



