In 1943, Gr er reported that the outcome of tuberculous disease would be presumed
by measuring the sizes of skin reactions to a series of concentration of tuberculin-he
called this measuring of allergic states "Allergometrie"-as the result of his work with a
group of pulmonary tuberculous patients.
According to his conclusion, in an allergic person, when the course of tuberculosis is
arrested or tended to improve, the sizes of tuberculin skin reaction appear to be
proportional to the concentration of tuberculin, on the contrary, when the course is
active or progressive, it varies inversely. He called the former state "pleoergie Zustand"
the latter "Pleo sthesie Zustand", and the in between "Homodyname Zustrand" in which
the course of disease may be either aggravated or quiscent.
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether this "Allergometrie" can
be considered to be a prognstic criterion in tuberculous meningitis as well as to
investigate the influence of chemotherapy on "Allergometrie".
10 tuberculous meningitis patients were involved in this study ranging in age from 19
months to 11 years.
As 8 of 10 patients reacted to 1:2000 tuberculin on admission, they were selected for
the study. and at 1 week to 2 months after their onset, in all 8 cases "Allergometrie"
revealed "Pleoergie Zustand". This "Pleoergie Zustand". were observed for periods
ranging from ca. 40 to 100 days.
In 3 cases, following the "Pleoergie Zustand""Allergometrie" exhibited "Homodyname
oder Pleo sthesic Zustand" which continued for from ca. 51 days to ca. 200 days.
After the period of "Homodyname oder Pleo sthesie Zustand" 2 patients became
negative reactor to both 1:10000 and 1:1000000 tuberculins availed in this study, and this
state persisted for from ca. 30 days to ca. 120 days.
No definite correlation between "Allergometrie" and the course of tuberculous
meningitis was drawn from the present study. It deemed that the negative conversion to
1:1000000 tuberculins would be due to the effect chemothrapy rather than that of disease
itself.
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