Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-03

40 the Effects Of Blood TRANSMISSION,
st. Louis Times, May l.
Yesterday afternoon a representative OF
the Times was invited to be present and Wit
ness very critical and curious surgical OPP
Grafton, which took place at the residence
OF DR.. Alexander McMasters, No. 2,607
Morgan street, viz: .'the transplanting OF
grating Of blood cOrpuscles, by the opera
ton of TRANSMISSION
The patient, Mrs. FRANK Campbell. wife
of Mr.. Frank Campbell, foreman of the
Oxley IrOn-workS, has been for many years
an invalid from the fell disease consump-
1ion. Doubtless the complaint is hereditaTy
with her, as three of her sisters have fallen
victims TO the scourge during the last three
years.
The practice of the TRANSMISSION of the
blood Of a healthy person into the system
of an invalid is by no means new, it having
been spoken of first about two centuries
ago, although not generally practiced. To
the profession, or those who have read much
upon this subject. il is well known that tu-
bercular diathesis consists in an inherited
popularity Of blood development, under
the influence Of which the naSeaent blood
tends to a molecular death. The blood dies
Still-bOrn, so TO speak; it never attains its
maturity Of growth or function; it stops
short of the distributive arteries of the
body; it decays and perishes on the thresh-
old Of circulation. 1t is the way of these
dead proteoinus elements TO become con-
solidated in the various vital organs, and
there to form the fbTiniform masses called
tubercle.
The blood possesses an immense power
of reproduction and cell growth; also, of
corpuScuiar development, or growth, and is
endowed with self-vitalizing power in a
remarkable degree. This is proven 10y the
raPidity with which the large quantities Of
blood are reproduced after a sudden loss,
in healthy persons, while those who inherit
the scrofulouS di4thesiS remain debilitated
and blanched. This is the theory Of DIR.
McMasterS, at least, and he states also that
healthy living blood cells or eOrpuScles may
be tTansplanted into feeble stream in all
other individual, and there grow with tie
same rapidity Of growth and peculiarities
of development as they would in the liv-
ing stream from which they were taken;
on the same simple principle as ENGRAVING
takes place in the vegetable kingdom, or
in the lately discovered process Of grating
skin Oh the human subject.
On the above theory Dr. McAlasteTs
bases his system of practice.
The present subject of the operation,
Mrs Campbell, who is twenty-six years of
age, was brought from Cleveland, Ohio,
some three weeks ago. When the first
operation OF this kind took place upon her
she was in very weak condition, scarcely
able to walk. To-day she takes a daily
walk of from sixteen 10 seventeen blocks,
sleeps well, and has good appetite.
no tinr
place, at which reporter of the Times was
present. 1t consisted of uncoFering one Of
the large veins at the wrist, raising it, ami
through a slight incision Introducing tw 0
ounces of pure, healthy blood taken from
the arm of her husband, Mr.. Frank Camp
bell.
The operation is an exceedingly delicate
enc, and was most successfully performed.
The time occupied I'm all was about thirty
minutes, while from the time of taking the
blood from the arm of the husband, to the
completion of the TRANSMISSION, about ten
seconds only transpired. Shortly after the
infusion of the blood the turniquet, which
had been placed upon the arm of the pa
tient, near the shoulder, was loOSened, and
the new blood began TO penneate the sys-
tenn Of the lady; she trembled perceptibiy,
a result Of the impression of the new blood
upon the nervous cLnters. The lady stood
the operation with true heroism, consider
ing its necessarily painful nature. Another
lady, whO-is under the doctors treatment
for the same complaint, and who Is prepar-
ing herself for the operation, stood bv and
witnessed the proceedings.
As was stated aboee, the theory of trans
planting blood from one person to another
is no new one; but DIR. McMaSterS' theory.
that the blood thus transplanted grows as
any other graft does, supplied by a nutri-
ment of the fluid into which it is thrown.
is claimed as purely original. .--..
This is the seventeenth time DIR. Nc
Masters has performed this operation, and
the seventh patient he has treated in this
ma lner. The first one recovered after three
onerationS. and is now working on his farm
near Toronto. Canada, from which place the
1ocfor comes. The second subject stood
three operations and gradually recovered.
The third was operated on four times before
any important change took place, but grad
1aily recovered and is now in Florida. The
fourth was a lady named Coppin, of Toron
"a She showed symptoms of recovery after
the second operation and finally recovered
after the fourth.
A significant fact in the operation yester
dty. was that upon opening the vein of tie
nafieut. the blood showed quite a different
appearance from that developed on the first
oreration. Yesterday it was ford and
healthy locking; on the first occasion it
b,re a strong resemblance TO muddy claret
w.ne. The husband of the lady, no thus
generously divides his LIES blood in order
n preserye if possible the life of his wife, s
a stron,, weIl-built, muscular man, the
orr, par,oili fication Of strength and man
hood. He pats with the inyigorating fluid
Iii q smile. as he has firm confidence in
the efficacy Of the treatment.