Second Infection in Syphilis

The Seven-Year Itch

“…Re-infection or superinfection? After reviewing the so-called criteria of re-infection proposed by Halley and Wassermann (1928) and the much more complex criteria proposed by Stokes, Cole, Moore, O'Leary, Parran, and Wile (1931), Earl Moore (1947) concluded that "the determination of the fact of re-infection in man and its differentiation from relapse must rest on clinical impressions, on diagnostic 'hunch' rather than on certainty". 1 Case 1 would appear to be the less contentious.…”

Immunological phenomena of syphilis.

“…Historical Observations From time to time there have appeared excellent papers on the subject of relapse and re-infection in syphilis, many of them reviewing the subject historically and bringing up to date our knowledge ofexperimental syphilis. Among them may be mentioned those of Hutchinson (1895a), Chesney (1927Chesney ( , 1930, Halley and Wassermann (1928), Harrison (1929), Stokes, Schoch, and Ireland (1931), Moore (1945), Beerman (1946), Urbach and Beerman (1947), Gueft and Rosahn (mouse syphilis) (1948), and Magnuson and his colleagues (1948). This historical section has been compiled by reference to these papers and the reader is referred to them for further information on experimental syphilis, a resume of which, largely taken from Harrison (1929), is given below in a later section.…”

“…Most clinical papers on the subject of relapse or reinfection appear to be devoted to one or other of these two aspects of lack of immunity to syphilis. On the subject of re-infection are the papers of Halley and Wassermann (1928), Stokes, Schoch, andIreland (1931), Schoch andAlexander (1943), Moore (1945), and Beerman (1946). On the subject of mucocutaneous relapse are the papers of Stokes, Besancon, and Schoch (1931), Stokes, Cole, Moore, O'Leary, Parran, andWile (1931), andPariser (1939).…”

“…The study of immunity in syphilis necessitated the adoption of the lax criteria of Halley and Wassermann (1928), of which there are but two: first, there must be proof of the first infection either by dark-ground demonstration of spirochaetes or by positive serology; second, after an interval following antisyphilitic treatment there must develop a darkground-positive sore like a chancre but at a different site from the original primary lesion. It becomes obvious in the clinic that these criteria are unsatisfactory too.…”

Review of Experimental Research in Syphilis and Its Possible Application to Man

“…Halley and Wassermann (I928) 44 presented a study of 676 cases of reinfection reported in the literature, and, after rejecting 447 as inadmissible, have added to the remaining 229 cases, eight from the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Analysis of the histories of these 237 cases showed that 97*8 per cent.…”