Complement Fixation Test in Tuberculosis. 



93 



the two similarly. (4) Finally one antibody was exhausted from 

 the serum by repeated incubation with antigen and complement 

 and subsequently the other antibody was proven to be still present. 



The experiments described above carried various controls 

 which are very complicated and will be fully described elsewhere. 



In the course of experiments through the kindness of Dr. W. H. 

 Park and Dr. A. A. McNeil, of New York, and Dr. Schildecker, 

 Dr. Boyce and other members of the staff of this hospital, three 

 hundred and twenty cases in all were examined up to date, com- 

 prising different conditions: typhoid, specific meningitis, tubercu- 

 losis, pernicious anemia, cancer, pneumonia, scarlet fever, lupus, 

 diphtheria, syphilis, gonorrhea, trichinosis and various surgical 

 conditions, with following results. 





W. + TB.+ 



W. + TB. - 



W. -TB.+ 



w - tb.;— 



Total. 



Serum 



31 



22 



31 



213 



297 



Spinal Fluid 



4 



6 



0 



13 



23 



The complete records of my cases will be published elsewhere. 

 Here only the conclusions will be given: 



1. That the serum reaction with Besredka's antigen seems 

 specific. 



2. That this reaction appears early in tuberculosis, yet dis- 

 appears in the later stages of the disease. 



3. That, as far as the material on hand was concerned, it 

 seems that either syphilis as such or anti-syphilitic treatment 

 markedly lowers the resistance of the patients against tuberculous 

 infection. 



4. As to other diseases their coexistence with tuberculosis as 

 indicated by this reaction does not seem to be frequent in any 

 one condition. 



5. In order to avoid any possible non-specific lipotropic re- 

 action I propose to delipolyze the antigen which contains egg 

 yolk. As regards the cases studied which gave both reactions, 

 I invariably found the two reactions to exist independently. 



In concluding this paper, I take special pleasure in expressing 

 my indebtedness to Professor M. Besredka, whose kindness in 

 placing the antigen in my hands, made the studies possible. 



