234 STRONG. 



of blood of a patient known to be suffering with relapsing fever and in 

 whose circulation the parasite was present. The bactericidal action of the 

 first serum was then observed under the microscope for various periods of 

 time. Later Karlinski, 18 lloutkewitsch, 10 Mielkieh 20 and particularly 

 Hodlmoser - 1 also employed this method for diagnostic purposes in 

 European relapsing fever, although not always with favorable results. 

 Hodlmoser emphasized the fact that in the sero-diagnostic method of 

 European relapsing fever, the most striking feature is the spirolytic 

 action of the serum rather than the agglutinative one. While he believed 

 that the reaction could not be obtained with absolute certainty in all 

 cases of relapsing fever, it nevertheless constituted in many a valuable 

 means of diagnosis. In all of these experiments the blood of another 

 patient containing spirochsetse was employed in making the test of the 

 suspected patient's serum. Hence, fresh cases of relapsing fever in human 

 beings were always necessary in order that the test might be performed. 

 It therefore naturally occurred to me that an examination of the blood 

 serum in African tick-fever infections for specific agglutinins and baete- 

 riolysins might sometimes prove of additional value in obtaining a diag- 

 nosis, the blood of animals infected with the spirochsetae instead of that 

 of human beings being employed in testing the serum. However, I found 

 that while sometimes by means of the agglutination or bacteriolytic reac- 

 tion a satisfactory result might be obtained with an immune spirochEetffi 

 serum, nevertheless it soon became apparent that the reaction was 

 frequently too uncertain and inconstant to be depended upon for diag- 

 nostic purposes. Moreover, it could not be considered to be of any prac- 

 tical use to the average physician. 



There are many difficulties to be encountered in performing the 

 agglutinative and spirolytic test with the spirochastas of this group, and 

 it is perhaps unnecessary to emphasize that the reaction can not be carried 

 out with nearly the same facilit}' as the agglutination reaction with 

 immune sera and bacteria. Perhaps the greatest difficulty is experienced 

 in securing the proper culture of the spiroeliEetas in the blood to be used 

 in testing the agglutinative and bacteriolytic power of the serum of the 

 affected patient. While, in general, it may be stated that the white mouse 

 is the most suitable animal to employ and that the blood containing 

 spirochteta 3 . should be collected in citrate solution on the second or third 

 day after infection, because the parasites. are apt to be most numerous 

 and most active at this period of time, nevertheless it frequently occurs 



ls Wien. klin. Wohnsch. (1903), 16, 447. Central, f. Bakt&riol. (1902), 1, 

 31, 566. 



19 Bailing. Jahrcsb. (1S98), 14, 613. Original article in Russiches archives d. 

 Pathol, etc. (1898), July 5. 



■* Bailing. .Tahresb. (1900), 16, 434. 



' l Wien. med. Wohnsch. (1904), 54, 2310. Ztschr. f. Heilk. Abt. Interne Med. 

 (1905), new series 6, 506. 



