426 The Philippine Journal of Science 192s 



helpfully in conjunction with clinical and bacteriological means 

 in arriving at a more-accurate knowledge of the effect of treat- 

 ment in individual cases. 



Investigations have been conducted with a view of observing 

 the effect of treatment with chaulmoogra oil and its products 

 on complement-fixation reactions with serum of lepers, using 

 various antigens, and the results may be described in two 

 groups; namely, those with lipoidal antigens and those with 

 bacterial suspensions. 



WASSERMANN REACTION IN LEPROSY 



It has been known for some years that positive Wassermann 

 reaction is obtained in a considerable proportion of cases of 

 leprosy, and that the percentage is higher in the nodular type 

 than in the anaesthetic. Recently Cooke (2) has carefully tabu- 

 lated the reported cases, 1,397 in all at the time of his publica- 

 tion, including both types. In 50 per cent of these positive 

 reaction was obtained. Seven hundred twenty-three cases were 

 reported to be of the nodular and mixed variety, and in this 

 group 60 per cent were positive; 405 were purely anaesthetic 

 cases, and only 25 per cent of these gave positive reaction. 



The presence of positive Wassermann reaction in leprosy can- 

 not be attributed to coincident syphilitic infection, as has been 

 sufficiently proven by unselected groups of controls, as well as 

 on clinical and therapeutic evidence. 



The Wassermann test was performed according to the details 

 described by Hinton.(4) l n the hemolytic system 2 units of 

 antisheep amboceptor, 0.5 cubic centimeter of a 5 per cent sus- 

 pension of washed sheep cells, brought to the original volume 

 of whole blood, and 2 units of guinea-pig serum complement 

 were used in each test. The uniformity of sheep-cell suspen- 

 sion was controlled by a color standard, and sera from several 

 pigs were pooled to obtain a complement of uniform strength. 

 A maximum of 0.1 cubic centimeter of patient's heated serum 

 was used in each test and a control of 0.2 cubic centimeter 

 for anticomplementary action. Only one antigen was employed, 

 instead of three as practiced by Hinton. The tests were made 

 with a cholesterinized alcoholic extract of guinea-pig's heart 

 used m doses of 0.1 cubic centimeter of a 1 + 4 dilution. This 



