Rapid urinary antigen diagnosis of infectious diseases: the legacy of Dr. Ludwik Fleck.

Reviewing recent pages on social studies of science, the authors found several articles dealing with Dr. Ludwik Fleck's philosophical work. Fleck's interest was even more intensive in medical science. Apart from the typhus serology; he worked extensively in the field of microbiology and described the "Leukergy" phenomenon. A modest contribution was recently added to this list, dealing with Fleck's scientific legacy, namely his contribution to the early diagnosis of infectious diseases. Presented as "Fleck's hypothesis", an outline was given on antigens in the urine of patients with typhus exanthematicus, a disease that needed an early diagnosis or a preventative vaccination. The urine antigen discovery by Fleck is generally unknown to today's practitioner making the diagnosis of infectious agents with sophisticated methodology. We present the widespread use of a simple urine-drop test for antigen detection, feasible even in peripheral community environment. This clinical application is attributed to L. Fleck.