The Race – Wiener Test in Hæmolytic Disease of the New-born

Abstract

Race¹ and Wiener² described in 1944 independently a peculiar phenomenon concerning the Rh agglutination. When Rh+ red blood corpuscles were incubated with some sera which did not agglutinate them, a further incubation with potent anti-Rh sera failed to produce an agglutination of these cells. Race called the antibody present in such sera the 'coating' or 'incomplete' antibody; Wiener designated the test as a 'blocking' test and called it the "counterpart of the inhibition test for haptens and group-specific substances". Wiener as well as Race and Taylor³ stressed the fact that by means of this test isoimmunization can be detected in Rh^- women when ordinary agglutination tests fail to give such evidence.