New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-07
sUMMARY-PURsE $1,000. 2h7 PACE.
TRANSMISSION OF BLOOD.
A STRANGE REMEDY ONCE IN REpUTE.


inc present discussions respecting the newly found
eHAir OF Dr. Brown-ScquaJ recall to the mind what
las been said and done during the last four cen
tures IN regard tho direct TRANSMISSION of the blood
ana the kindred therapeutic methods that prescribed
plooddIinidng aud blood bathing for the OF Ger
tain patients.
There many legends OF masculine and feminine
Vfahs who, In ancient times tried like Tiberius and
othcl to recover strength and health through drink
ing or bathing In tho blood of young boys AMI girls
they caused to be put to death But the first authenh
Gated case Of attempted blood TRANSMISSION in 1892
tho year America discovered After Pope Inno-
cent VIII, who suffered nom poverty Of blood that
caused him frequent falnts and a continuous drows
ness mai been declared ncurable by his six physi
clans, carlua asked them whether he could not be
saved by having tho blood OF some strong individual
tfansfuscd into his veins. The doctors answered
that this might happen, but that account of posi-
bio consequences tho POpe's consent should first be
obtained. The Pontlf consented. after having been
told that tho operation would consist I'm Introducing
Into his veins the blood Of healthy person through
the medium Of a thin tube which would pump out the
blood and Introduce il instantly and painessy in tho
vein, because the puncture of the vein would be very
light, and very small also would be the extremity OF
tho tube introduced into It. A strong and healthy
boy, Of the Campagna Romano country around
Rome, was picked out but the operation could not
DC %fOnpuSuel. mo doctors Wefb not uScu 10 IT,
They tried uselessly with second subject. third
one, big fellow looking Ike a gladiator. offered
himself The blood flowed easily from his veins into
the tube, and thence into the vein of the Pope. But
the latter became alarmed and withdrew his sud
denly, that air entered the opened vein. This is
said to have caused his DEATH Such is the legend.
few years later the Cardinal who had ad-
viScd this weird remedy for the Pope lay dying from
a hcmorrhagc which nothing could stop. lie caused
tina nv 10 frixrpl I'm
blood on payment Of 1000 scudi, or about $1,000 a
pretty large for that time yet not dear If the
tale Is to be trusted since the Cardinal recovered and
lived for twenty years longer.
In the seventeenth century another italian ply
stefan IS said have operated the TRANSMISSION Of
blood upon many patients, in particular upon CON
sumptlve person. who was bled at first In order to
draw all the bad Blood The result says the
chrOniccr OF the time. admirably satisfactory in
this case, in many Others all the patients recovered
health and lived for many years, celebrating the
marvellous physician.
Blood TRANSMISSION entered from that moment, for
the time being, into the regular methods Of medicine
as then pracscd; and doctors from England, France,
spain, etc. to Italy to study the system, while
patients of wealth and Of great renown caused them
selves to DO carried to Padua, Florence and Rome,
where they consulted the great doctors. The selling
of blood came to be a lucrative business.
In the middle of the eighteenth century they began
to substitute as being much preferable the blood Of
bulls and oxen for that of men. This system has
never quite gone out, even in our days. But there
ar, s some discrepancies respecting the best method
of making the operation. Miguel Rossi, OF MOdena;
was opposed 70 the school at Bologna, which claimed
that the patient must be bcd before being submitted
10 the TRANSMISSION Of blood Professor Rossi declared
this 10 be dangerous and at best useless except IN
case OF poisoning. lie claimed that the blood vessels
are capable OF containing more than double inc usual
quantity Of blood Later on discussion was rife also
in regaid 10 the method then popular, of Juan Pole,
| -
of The arm as usually done, transfused 1t rom ne
artery OF the arm Of the blood-GvNr INTO me
| peritoneum of the patient. 1t was Only between
| Inc wears 1915 and 17oO that settled rules ara
practice were adopted by physicians in regard to plood
irausfusion either I'm the veins or the p'rtonNlil'
There are medical statistics that 60 % snow cures,
| through This method, OF TO per cent In cases OF
| bem0Trbago lockjaw phthlSlS, malaual levers,
anaema and boOd-posoning " , ,.,,
As 10 The practice Of drinking blood ana DatmnS
in II I'm order to recover health and bcauy me com
nievion IL Is a. ancient the world Itself NO mat
Ter how repulsve the idea. it Is sad that people soon
| Get accustomed to il, ard for some it becomes a
paSson For this purpose, If reports may be trsIeu,
The slaughter houses OF every cry arr moro OF ess
freouented by gentlemen. ladies' and children ana as
In New-Yorl ii claimed that the great anu nSdrS
nnioTe rendezvous of the blood drinking nvalldS Is
| I'm he sIaughter-houscs Of Jersey City.