LACTIC ACID OF SPINAL FLUID IN MENINGITIS: PRACTICAL DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC VALUE

In 1926, 1 one of us (Dr. Killian) and his associate reported that spinal fluid from cases of meningitis showed unusually high values for lactic acid and low ones for sugar. The source of the increased lactic acid appeared to lie in the metabolic activity of the leukocytes. These studies were continued, and in 1928 2 we came to the conclusion that the changes in lactic acid concentration were a better index of the progress of the infection than the changes in the sugar content. In meningitis the lactic acid of the spinal fluid was greater than that of the blood, but the sugar of the spinal fluid was less than that of the blood. Furthermore, the lactic acid of the spinal fluid may fluctuate within a wide range, although the amount of sugar remains normal. Since our first observations, similar studies have been reported by others. 3 In the