An Allergic Skin Reaction to Diphtheria Bacilli. 89 



peristaltic augmentation became manifest also in parts of the 

 colon and not infrequently even in the otherwise inert cecum. 

 The augmented waves of the stomach are not very pronounced 

 but the pyloric part of the stomach often contracts strongly as a 

 whole. The vagus nerves were stimulated within the thorax in 

 their course upon the lower part of the esophagus. Ergotoxine 

 unmistakably increases the motor responsiveness of all parts of 

 the gut to stimulation of the nerves even when their cardiac action 

 is in no way involved. 



52 (1116) 



An allergic skin reaction to diphtheria bacilli. 



By J. A. Kolmer, M.D. 



[From the McManes Laboratory of Experimental Pathology of the 

 University of Pennsylvania and the Laboratory of the Phila- 

 delphia Hospital for Contagious Diseases.] 



While immunity in diphtheria may be regarded as being 

 principally antitoxic in nature, it is highly probable that anti- 

 bodies of a lytic nature may be concerned. With this in view, 

 we have applied an allergic skin reaction in addition to the toxin 

 test of Schick, in studying immunity in diphtheria to the following 

 persons : 



1. To 123 persons of various ages, most of whom were healthy 

 and well and had never had diphtheria or received an injection of 

 diphtheria antitoxin. 



2. To 61 persons receiving curative or prophylactic doses of 

 diphtheria antitoxin. 



The antigen for the allergic tests was prepared of 45 recently 

 isolated cultures of diphtheria bacilli of various types; each culture 

 was grown in glucose broth for four days and all mixed in a single 

 flask and shaken mechanically with glass beads to break up clumps. 

 To each 100 c.c. of the emulsion was added 5 c.c. of sterile horse 

 serum antitoxin (2,500 units) and the whole shaken at room 

 temperature for four hours. After this time the emulsion was 

 placed in sterile centrifuge tubes and the bacilli separated and 



