CHEMO-IMMUNOLOGICAL STUDIES ON LOCALIZED INFECTIONS : FOURTH PAPER: EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMOCOCCIC MENINGITIS AND ITS SPECIFIC TREATMENT.

Virulent pneumococci injected into the cranial or spinal cavities of monkeys produce constantly a meningitis closely resembling pneumococcus meningitis in man, except that the experimental disease pursues a more rapid course to the invariable death of the untreated animal. An homologous immune pneumococcus serum injected into the spinal canal exerts a restraining influence upon the disease to the extent that when employed early it prevented, exceptionally, the occurrence of infection and thus saved the life of the animal, and when given later it at first retarded the disease but subsequently exerted no beneficial action and was powerless to save life. A mixture of sodium oleate, immune serum, and boric acid exerted regularly a more powerful action than immune serum alone, and not only prevented the occurrence of infection but also, when administered repeatedly, arrested the progress of an actually established infection and led, often, to the enduring and perfect recovery of the inoculated animal. It is proposed to employ a similar mixture in the direct treatment of pneumococcic meningitis and possibly of still other accessible local pneumococcic infections in man.