Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-12
BLOOD TRANSMISSION.
The Remarkable Case OF Gen. Blair.
Cincinnati Times.

The Remarkable Case OF Gen. Blair.
Cincinnati Times.
The TRANSMISSION Of healthy blood in
n the veins of Gen. Frank P. Blair
long living in a critical condition, and
finding no relief from other treatment
has undoubtedly been followed by
great, even if temporary, relief. At
the first operation an ounce and half
was transferred, and at the second a
little less thar four ounces, the patient
remaining almost insensible, and ap-
parently unconscious. At the third,
and so lar, the last attempt, five ounces
Of fresh blood were successfully trans
TERED, and the patient was so far re-
covered as to watch the operation with
great interest, to articulate few words
for the first time IN many days,
and to move a paralytic arm that had
been helpless for weeks. Shortly after,
he fell into a refreshing slUmber, since
which 10 account Of his condition has
been received.
Encouraging as these symptoms
seem, too much must not be hoped from
them. 1t Is unfortunately She record
Of the earlier experiments Of this class
that the first fatteriDg improvement IN
the patients health was too often fol-
lowed by a speedy and fatal relapse.
Few novelties IN therapeutics have ere
ated so much excitement IN their day
as this very one, and yet tits 50 ancient
that its origin can not be determined.
1t is commonly supposed that passage
IN Ovid refers to the operation, and
certainly it vas described II full by
Libavias as early as 1915. At one time
excitement fairly ran riot over 1t, and
the belief was common among the pro-
fession that some changes IN the HlOdUs
operandi would result IN making it the
fountain Of perpetual life.
But the fever passed away from the
fact that those operated upon would
inconsiderately insist upon dying IN
stead Of getting well, and, finally, pub
lie opinion passed from one extreme to
the other. Upon the death of Baron
Bond, of Sweden, under the operation,
the French Parliament came down
upon the practice with a prohibition
under heavy penalties; and a few years
later, the Pope, rarely behind hand
with prohibitions where science is con-
cerned, Illuminated an edict prescribing
any attempts Of the kind.
Thus presented, of course the praC-
tice lived. and lived to become some
thing reliable, and very useful IN its
limited way. Along IN the early part
Of this century DR.. Blundel discovered
10 what uses the operation could ad-
vantageously be put, what were prere-
uuisites to It's success, and what incl
dents were dangerous. One Of his most
important discoveries was that the
TRANSMISSION was most likely to be sue
cessful where the corpuscles Of the two
bloods mingled were of equal or nearly
equal size; and that it was certain to
be fatal if they were of different kinds,
as. for instance, between birds and
0uadruOeds. He limited its main uses,
also. to such cases as where death was
threatened through excessive loss of
blood from any cause, surgical or other
wise, finding that the vitality was much
less tried by the TRANSMISSION than 5y
the task Of making new blood Tor
itself.
Since these experiments Of DIR. Blum
dell there have been no material ad-
vances in the art except the improve
ment Of instruments with view to the
exclusion of air and the maintenance
Of an equitable temperature. Of late,
however, there seems to have been a
revival IN the hospitals Of the belief
that a larger domain rightly belonged
to the practice If truly pursued; and Of
this later awakening the Blair case Is
one Of the first Importance. The re-
suits Will be awaited with great inter-
est, rot only by the friends Of the pa
tent, but by those concerned IN the
bearing Of the case upon the world at
large.