20 



nearly as great a streptococcidal power as the defibrinated blood from 

 the patients without nephritis. The corpuscles were washed twice in a 

 large amount of NaCl solution which is usually sufficient to prevent 

 phagocytosis in a suspension of corpuscles in NaCl solution. It is not 

 likely, therefore, that the washing had not been carried far enough. But 

 the results of these experiments seem to indicate rather that the leuco- 

 cytes as well as the serum from these nephritis patients have undergone 

 some change which renders them less efficient in the destruction of bac- 

 teria. In fact, it would seem that the leucocytes have suffered more than 

 the serum. Whether or not these facts may serve to throw light on the 

 cause of some of the terminal infections can not be determined at this 

 time. 



It is an interesting question whether the opsonin is increased or not 

 during the acute infections. Normal leucocytes in normal serum take up 

 large numbers of cocci ; hence, it is difficult to determine if leucocytes in 

 erysipelas serum, for instance, take up more cocci than those in normal 

 serum. This question had, therefore, to be approached in a different 

 way. 



Experiment 4. Two sets of tubes were made and 0.2 c. c. of washed 

 corpuscles introduced into each. To one set of tubes were added falling 

 quantities of normal serum and to the other set falling quantities of 

 erysipelas serum. The contents of each tube were made up to 0.4 c. c. 

 with NaCl solution, and to each tube was added 0.4 c. c. of a suspension 

 of streptococci. The tubes were incubated for one hour at 36 C., smears 

 were made and the average number of cocci in each leucocyte determined 

 "by counting those in 30 leucocytes. The results are shown in Table 12. 



Table 12. 



Normal serum. Phagocytosis. Erysipelas serum. Phagocytosis. 



0.2 c. c 13.5 0.2 c. c 11.5 



0.1 c. c 0.4 0.1 c. c 11.2 



0.05 c. c 0.7 0.05 c. c 8.2 



0.025 c. c 4.7 0.025 c. c 0.0 



0.012 c. c 2.2 0.012 c. c 4.3 



This experiment indicates that there is a slight increase of opsonin 

 in the erysipelas serum as compared with normal serum. A similar in- 

 crease of opsonin has been noted by Wright and Douglas* after treat- 

 ing with their staphylococcus vaccine a person afflicted with furunculosis. 

 Hektoen** also observed a rise in opsonin after injecting a person with 



**Proc. Royal Sue., 1904. 



**Journ. A. M. A., 1006, XLVI, 1400. 



