SPIROCHETAL AND PROTOZOAL INFECTIONS 207 



Schacherl has reported on the combined specific and nonspecific 

 treatment of 10 syphilitic neuro-arthr apathies. In these cases only one 

 was temporarily cured, 5 showed some retrograde change, while 4 

 were unchanged. 



In 16 cases of cerebral lues, the results were as follows: In 5 

 cases of hemoplegia, 1 was cured, 3 were improved. Five were of the 

 disseminate type; of these 2 were cured, 3 improved. Three cases 

 presented only eye symptoms. One of these was cured, one improved 

 and one not changed. 



Schacherl noticed that the Wassermann reaction was much more 

 rapidly changed under the combined treatment than with mercurial 

 treatment alone; it seemed very probable that the mercury was much 

 more rapidly absorbed, because stomatitis was more frequently noted 

 under the combined method than when mercury salicylate was given 

 alone. 



Stiickgold, who has treated a number of cases of congenital lues 

 with the milk "fever" therapy, rightly observes that one cannot expect 

 to permanently cure syphilis by means of such therapy; all that one 

 can expect is a remission of the disease manifestation. But he is 

 convinced that the combination of the nonspecific reaction with spe- 

 cific agents is of particular value. He observed that with the combined 

 therapy one required much smaller doses of the specific drugs to 

 obtain therapeutic results and to influence the Wassermann reaction. 



Schreiner used milk and peptone injections along with specific 

 treatment in syphilis and found that the Wassermann reaction be- 

 came negative much sooner in such cases than in those that were 

 put solely on specific treatment. The effect on the Wassermann re- 

 action has been studied by several observers after Uddgren called 

 attention to the fact that in luetics a single injection of milk might 

 render the serum positive (previously negative). Scherber found that 

 in luetics an intercurrent febrile disease might have the same effect. 

 In the therapy of syphilis by means of salvarsan the induction of an 

 antianaphylactic state on the part of the patient has been found of 

 value in preventing the occurrence of the salvarsan shock reaction. 

 Bushman describes the method of Stokes, which consists of giving a 

 preliminary dose of salvarsan (1/10 the total dose) ; this is undoubt- 

 edly sufficient to cause an alteration in the permeability of the cells 

 and so lessen the possibility of later intoxication. Mention has already 

 been made of the fact that Jungmann used salvarsan interchangeably 

 with serum in the treatment of scarlet fever. 



WEIL'S DISEASE 



A number of observers have reported that Weil's disease is fa- 

 vorably influenced by the injection of convalescent and normal serum 

 (Heidenheim, Herbach, Mann; Kleinberger obtained no conclu- 



