Origin of the immunological pregnancy test

Promising innovations which enhance accuracy of laboratory testing and shorten turnaround time in the laboratory should receive timely recognition. Reporting a finding is more important than the apprehension that the finding might later prove to be an erroneous 'fluke'. Delay in reporting a finding until it is supported by more exacting and extensive testing may cause a clinically significant test to go undiscovered, whatever the reason. This article credits those who assisted the author in developing the world's first nonbiological pregnancy test. By serially injecting rabbits with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) mixed with Freund's adjuvant, the author induced antibodies to HCG. By our use of the latex particle fixation slide test, these antibodies could be detected and measured to a precision of within 10 IU.