NONSPECIFIC REACTION 69 



that they have considerable to do with the final recovery from the 

 infection by their influence upon the primary focus." 



Culver observed that both the opsonic and bacteriolytic titers of 

 the serum of patients suffering from gonococcal arthritis were 

 normal or below normal before any injections were made. This 

 has been previously observed by Irons and others for the opsonin 

 content of serum from these patients. Irons also demonstrated that 

 spontaneous fluctuations in antibody content occur in gonococcal 

 arthritis and that by massage of the affected joints or the infected 

 prostate there resulted an opsonin increase not altogether unlike 

 that produced by an injection of killed gonococci. Culver believes 

 that any antibody change which results from an injection of a sub- 

 stance which produces a chill might well be explained by the motion 

 of the affected parts during the chill. But since the curves regularly 

 show an increase in lysin and a decrease in opsonin after the first 

 injection and reaction, while each succeeding injection is usually fol- 

 lowed directly by an antibody decrease regardless of the intensity of 

 the reaction, it does not seem that the joint motion has much to 

 do with it here. The above antibody changes occur in serum of 

 patients with acute, subacute, or chronic joints with no appreciable 

 difference between these classifications. Some serums were studied 

 after a small amount of protein was injected, large enough to increase 

 the leukocytes and temperature but not sufficient to produce a rigor. 

 These injections were followed by antibody changes not unlike those 

 produced by the more severe reactions. 



The Effect on the Wassermann Reaction. Uddgren found that 

 following milk injections, Wassermann negative luetic patients fre- 

 quently became Wassermann positive. Zeisl finds that gonorrhea! 

 patients after an injection of "Gonargin" or "Arthigon" may give a 

 positive reaction. This observation is related to that of Strickler, 

 Munson and Sidlick who found that after salvarsan injections non- 

 syphilitic patients may become serologically positive. Conradi and 

 Sklarek have also observed changes in the Wassermann reaction after 

 intravenous injections of typhoid vaccine. 



