The 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 ...

The widely used Wassermann test for syphilis has its faults. If the tested patient has recently been vaccinated, the Wassermann may be “positive” — the standard indication of syphilis. It may also be ...

For permission requests, please contact NEJM Reprints at [email protected] Select the format you want to export the citation of this publication.