392 



PHARMACEUTICAL BACTERIOLOGY 



In the treatment and cure of syphilis mercurial and arsenical prepara- 

 tions and the iodides play a very important part. In the treatment of 

 gonorrhea, disinfectants, especially silver nitrate and protargol, play a 

 very important part. The antigonorrheic bacterin has been used with 

 some success as a prophylactic and as a cure in chronic cases. Only 

 competent physicians can treat these diseases properly. All advertised 

 and patented "quick cure" remedies are fakes. 



Ehrlich and Hata have discovered what appears to be a specific in the 

 treatment of syphilis, namely, intramuscular and intravenous injections 

 of dioxydia-amidoarsenobenzol (Salvarsan, or "No. 606"). The tests 

 thus far made have yielded astonishing results. Many of the most 

 severe forms of the disease have been promptly cured by a single dose of 

 this remedy. 



The Wassermann or Wassermann-Noguchi test for syphihs is now 

 generally applied to determine whether or not the Spirochaeta is in the 

 system. The reaction is due to certain bodies in the blood serum of 

 syphilitic persons that display a marked aflSnity for hpoids and in parti- 

 cular, lecithin. Many workers now use, as antigen, an emulsion of lecithin 

 or guinea-pig heart, in place of the watery emulsion of the liver obtained 

 from a syphihtic fetus as described by the originators of the reaction; 

 the advantages being that lecithin and guinea-pig's heart are always on 

 hand and alcohoUc extracts are more stable than watery extracts. 



The following is an outUnei of the method of procedure as given by 

 George Gillman of San Francisco. 



I. Antigen (a) (original Wassermann); the liver of a syphihtic fetus is 

 cut into very small pieces and an emulsion made of it by shaking with 

 normal salt solution (0.85 per cent.) in the proportion of- one (i) part of 

 the hver to five (5) parts of the salt solution. After the shaking is com- 

 pleted, the supernatant hquid is removed and clarified by eentrifugaliza- 

 tion, after which the clear liquid is pipetted off, one-half of i per cent, of 

 phenol added and stored on ice until wanted for use. 



(b) If lecithin is to be used as the antigen, it is prepared as follows: 

 Make up a solution of pure lecithin in alcohol; of this alcoholic solution, 

 a quantity equal to o.i gm. of lecithin, is added to 100 cc. of normal salt 

 solution. This is also stored on ice. 



(c) Guinea-pig heart extract is prepared as follows: The heart is 

 rubbed up very fine in a mortar (containing ground glass) with absolute 

 alcohol in the proportion of one (i) gram of the heart to 25 cc. of absolute 

 alcohol. It is then heated to 60° C. for an hour, filtered through filter- 

 paper and kept in the refrigerator ready for use. 



As the strength of the antigen will vary in different preparations, it 

 must be standardized before being used. It should be of such strength 



