Word: wassermann
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...properties of ill defined or hypothetical substances." Doctors knew that there were such things as antigens (mostly proteins and highfalutin sugars called polysaccharides). and that these could stimulate the human system to produce antibodies. These were important in vaccines and protective serums, and also in tests like the Wassermann. But doctors did not know whether to use a drop or a bucketful because they could not accurately measure the strength of their preparations...
Wistfully, Neal, the bridegroom jilted on the wedding eve, recalled that he and Barbara had their Wassermann tests taken together last week. Then he made a decision which may be as important a precedent in the etiquette of Hollywood as Lord Coke's Rule in Shelley's Case was to the law of England. Said Tom Neal: "I'm not going to pay for her Wassermann tests if she's going to marry Tone...
...Wassermann test (1906) was a powerful weapon in the war against syphilis, but its many laboratory stages made it as slow and cumbersome as a medieval crossbow. What the medical warriors needed was a rifle. When Dr. (of Science) Reuben Leon Kahn took charge of Michigan's serology laboratory in Lansing 31 years ago, several starts had been made, but Kahn wanted to do better. On Thanksgiving eve of 1921, he recalls, "I walked home at a faster pace than usual. I wanted to tell my wife the exciting news: I had succeeded in bringing about spontaneous precipitation...
...Several other precipitation tests also commonly used are based on the same principle. The true Wassermann, a "complement fixation" test, often serves as a court of appeal, is used to confirm positive reactions from other tests...
...rather flunk my Wassermann test Than read a poem by Edgar A. Guest...