APPENDIX 165 



was mixed with distilled water. Noguchi then 

 made exact determinations of the globulin content 

 of the different sera, and found that in cases of 

 secondary syphilis either untreated or but slightly 

 treated, an increased globulin content could be 

 demonstrated. In primary and tertiary stages the 

 change was found to be inconstant. The results 

 of these globulin determinations were quite gen- 

 erally paralleled by the result of the Wassermann 

 test on the sera question. The method employed 

 for determining the globulin content of the serum 

 was the ordinary one of the biochemical laboratory, 

 as follows : 



The serum was mixed with half -saturated solu- 

 tion of ammonium sulphate and the resulting pre- 

 cipitate concentrated always to the same volume 

 by means of a centrifuge. After pouring off the 

 supernatant fluid, the precipitate was carefully 

 weighed in its moist condition. 



It is evident that this method can be employed 

 only by trained workers in suitable laboratories: 

 it is hardly clinically applicable. In order to over- 

 come this objection, Noguchi devised the following 

 simple modification: 



The ammonium sulphate precipitate is separated 

 by contrifuging as before, and the supernatant 

 fluid poured off. The precipitate is then redis- 

 solved by adding ten volumes of physiological salt 

 solution, and tested by the addition of a 10% solu- 

 tion of butyric acid in salt solution. When the 

 globulin content o: the serum is normal slight 



