Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 May 2009
Experience gained from a previous enquiry on this subject in human tuberculosis led to the belief that much information might be derived from an investigation of the complement fixation reaction in animals experimentally infected with tubercle bacilli. Accurate dosage can be measured and the true path of infection is definitely known. Various enquiries were suggested and investigated by the detailed examination of rabbits and guinea-pigs; the latter class of rodents were used in batches of six to twelve in number, as otherwise the individual differences between animals in the same group of experiments are entirely overlooked. My cultures of the human tubercle bacillus were obtained by inoculating guinea-pigs with the sputum from typical cases of pulmonary tuberculosis at the Brompton Hospital Sanatorium at Frimley. Pure cultures of the bacillus were obtained from the infected guinea-pigs and cultivated on Dorset's egg medium, so that within a period varying from 14 to 21 days an abundant growth was obtained. The culture of the bovine bacillus was supplied to me by Professor Delépine who obtained it directly from the tissues of an infected cow, and subcultures were kept going on Dorset's egg medium. In every experiment without exception the animals were infected with definitely known quantities of the human or bovine bacillus. These were obtained by carefully scraping the growth off the surface of the egg medium and weighing it on sterile platinum foil, while in some cases (for comparison) a portion of the growth was dried in a desiccator before it was weighed. The untreated or dried bacilli were then shaken in a known quantity of sterile saline, so that a perfect emulsion free from clumps was obtained. The bacilli were kept in the dark in brown stoppered bottles and were always employed within a few days of their preparation.
page 52 note 1 N. B. I am indebted to Dr W. O. Meek, Director of the Sanatorium, for supplies of the tuberculous sputum.Google Scholar
page 53 note 1 Dudgeon, L. S., Meek, W. O., Weir, H. B. “A Preliminary Inquiry on the Value of the Complement Fixation Reaction in Tuberculosis.” Lancet, Jan. 4th, 1913.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
page 54 note 1 Deycke and Much (München. med. Wochenschr. 1913, No. 3) found that a neutral fat could be extracted from tubercle bacilli which could be employed with good results for complement fixation experiments on tuberculin and tubercle immunity.Google Scholar
page 57 note 1 N.B. Allergy is a term used by Baldwin* and others to include all forms of “tuberculin” reaction, whether local or general, or any inflammatory process caused by tubercle bacilli or their products after infection has been established.
* Baldwin, Edward R. “Allergy and Re-Infection in Tuberculosis.” Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, 07 1913.Google Scholar
page 58 note 1 Austrian, C. E. “The Effect of Hypersensitiveness to a Tuberculo-Protein upon subsequent infection with Bacillus tuberculosis.” Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin, 01. 1913.Google Scholar
page 58 note 2 Romer, P. K. (1908). Beiträge z. Klinik d. Tuberkulose, XI. p. 79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
page 65 note 1 Both the untreated and the treated bacillus was found to be actively pathogenic to guinea-pigs.
page 69 note 1 Dudgeon, , Leonard, S., Croonian Lectures. “The Pathology of Immunity as concerns the Agressins.” Lancet, June and July, 1912.Google Scholar