SEROLOGICAL STADIES ON THE DERMATITIS, FOUND AMONG THE BATHERS OF THE TAMAGAWA HOT SPRING

Abstract

We observed some cases of dermatitis, being found among the bathers at a bath temperature of about 43°C of the Tamagawa hot spring and researched chiefly on the serological effects of this dermatitis upon living bodies.
When the bathers took a bath five-seven times a day, in a few days some or numberless eruptions yielded on their bodies.
Papules of the size of a half rice corn or the top of the little finger or urticarial eruptions spread sporadically on the neck, chest, epigastric region, axillary, inguinal region, insides of thighs, upperarms and forearms.
These eruptions sometimes turned into small vesicles and slight erosions, but never became supprative.
We classified the degree of the eruptions of the bathers into 3 groups. In the first group the subjects had bathed several times a day and a few days after yielded relative strong eruptions. In the second group the subjects had bathed two or three times (occasionally five-seven times) a day and yielded slight eruptions. In the third group the subjects had bathed one or two or three times a day and yielded no eruptions.
The results of the precipitation tests between the serum and the urine of the same persons are following.
The urine was filtrated and neutralized previous to the experimentation.
The urine which was excreted 1-3 days before the yield of the eruptions and during the eruptions, reacted on the serum of the same bathers during the eruptions positively (Table I).
These precipitation tests became positive between the urine and the serum which was taken at different times, only when the serum was taken later than the urine, while there was no positive reaction when the urine and the serum had been taken at the same time, or when the serum was taken before the urine (Table I).
In the first group: these precipitations were strong (Table II).
In the second group: these precipitations were weak (Table II).
In the third group: there was no reaction (Table II).
From these results we assumed that the intensity of the precipitation runs parallel to the intensity of the eruptions, and this positive precipitation is due to the reaction between the autoantibody and the antigen caused by the eruptions.
Hot spring water at Tamagawa was tested as follows by the Hygienic Section of the Akita Prefectural Office (1/July-1937).