1915/01/09 by ARTHUR W. M. ELLIS, Arthur Ellis
Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Syphilis Diagnosis and Treatment #Blood disorders and treatments #Eosinophilic Disorders and Syndromes
paper · doi:10.1001/jama.1915.02570280032009
Wide variations in the amino-acid content of the blood and spinal fluid of patients with syphilis have been reported. As these variations far exceeded any ever seen experimentally in animals even under most abnormal conditions, it seemed advisable to investigate the question. This communication reports the results of the quantitative determination of amino-acid nitrogen in the blood and spinal fluid of normal and syphilitic individuals. In 1913, D. M. Kaplan,<sup>1</sup>and Kaplan and McClelland<sup>2</sup>described what they entitled "A Quantitative Chemical Reaction for the Control of Positive Wassermann Reactions." The reaction described was merely the quantitative estimation of amino-acid nitrogen according to the method of Van Slyke.<sup>3</sup>According to Kaplan and McClelland the amino-acid nitrogen of the blood is diminished in patients with syphilis, and the quantitative determination of amino-acid nitrogen in the blood may be used as a diagnostic procedure in doubtful cases. Kaplan<sup>4</sup>reports