When a suitable foreign protein is carefully administered to a patient suffering from acute or chronic infection, there is no doubt that the patient will give evidence of increased antibody production, measured by agglutinin titer, opsonic index, bacteriolytic activity and methods of complement deviation, as observed and repeatedly confirmed by different workers. Here, however, the clinical findings often fail to measure up to the laboratory expectations.
On the other hand, the possibility of these antibodies, as they are mobilized, playing an important rôle, at least in the ultimate recovery of the patient, cannot be ignored, though the temporary relief of the symptoms might not necessarily depend a great deal on them.
Theories have been advanced to explain the mechanism of serum antibody fluctuation, but the opinions of different observers vary as do the results obtained by them.
Teaque and McWilliams1 show that the intravenous injection of a suitable dose of