Abstract
Blood was taken from a series of patients having various forms of syphilis and showing a strongly positive Wassermann reaction. Total cholesterol and cholesterol esters were determined on the whole blood by the method of Bloor, 2 and Bloor and Knudson, 3 respectively. The syphilitic cases having a positive reaction were grouped into syphilis of the heart and blood vessels, syphilis of the central nervous system, syphilis with skin manifestations. Several cases with positive Wassermann reaction but showing no physical signs and control cases with negative Wassermann reaction were also studied. The results of these determinations are given in Table I. They indicate that the total cholesterol content is not effected but the amount of cholesterol as esters is considerably decreased in the various syphilitic conditions. The percentage of cholesterol ester in the normal patients with negative Wassermann reaction averages 34.4 per cent. which agrees very closely with the results reported by Bloor and Knudson. 4 The per cent. of cholesterol esters in the cases with syphilis showing positive Wassermann reaction and distinct physical signs averages about 21-22 per cent. It is of interest to note that the three cases with a positive Wassermann reaction but no physical signs of syphilis do not show a very marked reduction of the cholesterol esters.
The cholesterol and cholesterol ester content has also been studied in a series of rabbits' blood before and after they have developed a four positive Wassermann reaction as a result of experimental inoculation with spirochete pallida. The results of these experiments are given in Table 11. Of the seven rabbits studied all but one show a marked reduction in the amount of cholesterol esters. The average percentage of cholesterol combined as esters in the rabbits before inoculation is 34.3 per cent. and after developing a positive Wassermann reaction it has dropped to an average of 22.9 per cent.
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