Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-03-05
TRANSMISSION OF BLOOD.

A Buffalo paper of a recent date, d. lei
giving an explanation Of the new science
OF TRANSMISSION, proceeds to speak of All in
terestin: experiment, involving the trans
fusion of blood, which was made at the
Buffalo Medical College recently, in the
presence of the students of the College.
The operator was William H. Mason, M .
D., Professor of Physiology, who prefaced
his experiment with brief but interesting
lecture on the TRANSMISSION of blood The
subjects upon which the operation was
performed were two dogs, one good-sized
mongrel and the other a smaller animal
having some of the coac,-dog in his COM
position. The Professor was assisted by
some OF the members of the class. Mr..
Charles Carey having charge of the larger
animal. The larger dog was first laid
upon the table, and after being put under
the influence of ether, the Professor pro-
ceeded to expose the carotid artery. The
apparatus through which the TRANSMISSION
was to be effected was then produced.
This consisted Of a simple India-rubber
tube about seven inches in length, and
having at each end a brass nozzle with
stop-cock. This tube was filled with
saturated solution of bicarbonate of soda
for the purpose Of preventing the coagula-
ton OF the first blood passing through.
and also preventing the ingress Of air into
the tube. One end of the pipe was intro
duced into the artery and the animal was
laid aside, all the while unconscious of
what was going on. The second dog then
received attention. was properly anes-
thized, and very soon thereafter Professor
Mason laid bare the jugular vein. The
other end of the tube was inserted into
the artery, and thus a perfect tubular con-
nection established between the blood YES
seis of the two animals.
The stop-cocks remained untouched, as
the time for the more important use Of the
tube had not yet come. If the small dog |
must have blood from his larger and equal |
ly unconscious neighbor, there must be a |
reason for it, and this was soon supplied. |
In the second dog an artery was opened, |
and his life-blood was permitted to ebb |
rapidly away. 1t continued TO flow till |
respiration ceased, and he was to all in
tents and purposes a dead dog. When the /
lungs had ceased to act, the flow of blood |
was instantly stopped, the stop-cocks at
tached to the tubes that connected the
animals were opened, and the blood was
allowed to flow from the larger dog into |
the smaller one, which had been exhausted |
by the hemorrhage. simultaneously with |
this artificial respiration was induced by |
intermittent compression of the thoracic |
walls, and this was continued for period |
OF three minutes, at the end of which time |
the animal himself breathed and was prac- |
tically restored to life. A few minutes /
more and the flow of blood was stopped |
and the TRANSMISSION was complete. The |
tube was removed, the ligatures We're deft- |
ly placed around the blood vessels which |
mad been severed. and as the narcotic eff |
fects OF the other passed off and the stimu-
lating properties asserted themselves, there |
were two Intoxicated CANNES, nothing tie |
worse for the experiment, to testify to the |!
comparative harmlessness of the expert |
ment and the skill Of the operator. Both |
animals were doing well at last accounts, |
and the Professor concluded his illustra-
ton by instructing his students that be-
fore trying the experiment upon human
beings they should repeat it two or three
hines IN animals