Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-12-06
CAN WE RnRRnw BLOOD,

In contemplating the loss of blood from
wounds or hemoThage, and in noting how the
vital powers ebb as the blood flows out, we are
naturally led to ask whether the peril may not
be avoided by pouring in fresh blood The
idea of TRANSMISSION is, indeed, very ancient
But the ancients, in spite of their facile oredu-
iity as to the effect of any physiological exper-
iments, were in no condition to make the ex-
pertinent to know how to set about TRANSMISSION
Not until the middle of the seventeenth CEN
fury had a preparation been made for such a
trial. The experiments of Boyle GRAFT, and
FrancasSats, on the injection of various sub
stances into the veins of animals, were crowned
by those of Lower, who in 1865, injected blood
into the veins of dog. Two years later, a
holder attempt was made on man. A French
mathematician, Denis, assisted by a surgeon
having repeated with success the experiments
of Lower, resolved to extend the new idea. 1t
was difficult to get human patient on whom
the plan could be tried but one evening a
mailman arrived in Paris quite naked, and he
was daringly seized by Denis as the fitting
subject for the new experiment. Eight ounces
of calls blood were transfused into his veins;
that night he slept well The experiment was
repeated on the succeeding day; he slept
quietly and awoke sane!
Great was the sensation produced by this
success. They found a healthy man willing
to have some blood drawn from him, and re-
placed by that of a sheep. He felt the warm
stream pouring in and declared it was so pleas
ant that they might repeat the experiment
The tidings flew over Europe In Italy and
Germany the plan was repeated, and it now
seemed as if TRANSMISSION would become one
more of the "heroic arms" of medicine These
hopes were soon dashed. The patient on whom
Denis had operated again went mad, was again
treated with TRANSMISSION and died during the
operation. The son of the Swedish minister,
who had been benefited by one TRANSMISSION,
persisted after a second. A third death was
assigned to similar cause and in April, 1868
the Parliament of Paris made it criminal to
attempt TRANSMISSION, except with the consent
of the faculty of Paris. Thus the whole thing
fell into discredit, to be revived again in our
day, and to be placed, at last on a scientific
basis.
1t will Immediately occur to the Psychologist
who reads the accounts, that TRANSMISSION was
effected on the supposition that the blood of all
quadrupeds was the same, and that it was in
different whether man received the blood of
another man. or of a sheep or calf This sup
position was altogether erroneous. The more
rigorous investigations of the moderns have
established that only the blood of animals of
the same species can be transferred in large
quantities without fatal results. The blood of
a horse is poison in the veins of a dog the
blood of a sheep is poison in the veins of cat
but the blood of horse will revive the faint
ing ass. From this it follows, that when trans
fusion is practiced on human beings, human
blood must be employed and so employed
the practice is in some urgent cases not only
safe, but forms the sole remedy.-MedicaI
Journal