ALLERGY IN RHEUMATIC FEVER

Investigations of the etiology of acute rheumatic fever and of other rheumatic disorders have brought many conflicting views before the medical profession. Attempts for the most part have been directed toward the isolation of bacteria from the blood or joints of patients showing the characteristic syndrome, and the production of arthritis in animals with the organisms thus obtained. Success in such measures has been achieved in widely varying degree. An English authority is inclined to recommend the discontinuance of the word "acute" with the understanding that the condition once present is always present in some form until death supervenes.

Recently Small¹ isolated a nonhemolytic streptococcus from the blood and various other tissues and fluids of patients with rheumatic fever. Because of certain constant biologic and serologic characteristics he considered this a specific organism and named it Streptococcus cardioarthritidis. Vaccines and serums prepared with this organism have received a limited