Since the clinical value of Wassermann's complement-fixation test for syphilis has been pretty firmly established, numerous efforts1 have been made to devise a substitute that is simple and more generally practicable. Most of these have depended on precipitate formation when syphilitic serums are treated with one of a variety of reagents. Thus Klausner, by diluting serum with distilled water, obtained with syphilitic serum a much more abundant precipitate than with other serums. Other observers have obtained similar results, using as a precipitant, dilute alcohol, solutions of lecithin, sodium taurocholate, or sodium glycocholate. But, unfortunately, none of these tests has proved constant enough to be of much value clinically.
A somewhat similar test has been reported by Noguchi,2 who systematically examined the various constituents of spinal fluids and blood serums giving a positive Wassermann reaction, and found that the active substances (antibodies) were all precipitated with the euglobulin fraction