Abstract
The Wassermann reaction for syphilis is also present in the majority of cases of leprosy and it is impossible to distinguish syphilitic and leprous sera by this test alone. With a view of obtaining specific antisera capable of neutralizing the active principles of syphilitic and leprous sera electively, rabbits were immunized with syphilitic and leprous sera, each giving positive Wassermann phenomenon. Two more rabbits were injected with normal and negative sera for controls. After several injections given intravenously, these rabbits yielded the antisera, all energetically precipitating for human serum. Before testing whether the antiserum prepared by injecting syphilitic serum exerts a specific neutralizing effect on the fixing property of that serum only, it was necessary first to determine the complement-fixing capacity of the precipitate formed by a normal serum and its antiserum. It was found that the entire bulk of precipitate formed by mixing 0.1 cubic centimeter of normal serum and 0.02 cubic centimeter of its antiserum can fix 0.05 cubic centimeter of guinea-pig's complement (using my antihuman hemolytic system), but is unable to prevent hemolysis when 0.07 cubic centimeter of complement is used. The precipitates formed by mixing syphilitic or leprous serum with their corresponding antisera or the antiserum for normal serum were also able to fix guinea-pig's complement in about the same degree as in the instance given above.
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