San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-14
TRANSMISSION OF BLOOD.


four centuries in regard to the direct
TRANSMISSION of the blood, and the
kindred therapeutic methods that
prescribed blood drinking and blood
bathing fol- the use of certain patients.
There are many legends of mas
culine and feminine tyrants who, in
ancient times, tried, like TiberiUs
and others, to recover strength and
health through drinking or bathing
in the blood of young boys and girls
they caused to be put to death. But
the first authenticated case Of at
tempted blood TRANSMISSION was in A.
80, the year America was discovered.
After Pope Innocent VIII, who
suffered from a poverty of blood"
that caused him frequent faints and
continuous drowsiness, had been
declared incurable by his six physi-
clans, a Cardinal asked them whether
he could not be saved by hav-
ing the blood of some strong
individual transfused into his
veins. The doctors answered
that this might happen, but that OH
account of possible consequences the
POpe's consent should first be obtain
ed. The Pontitf consented, after hav-
ing been told that the operation would
con sist in introducing into his veins
the blood Of heal thy person through
the medium of tin tube which would
pump out the blood and introduce it
instantly and painlessly into the vein,
because the puncture of the vein
would be very light, and very small
also would be the extremity of the
tube introduced into it. A strong and
healthy boy, of the Campagna Ro-
was picked out, but the oper-
alton could not be accomplished.
The doctors were not used to it.
They tried uselessly with a second
subject. A third one, a big fellow
looking like a gladiator, offered him.
self. The blood flowed easily from
his veins into the tube, and thence
nto the vein OF the Pope. But the
latter became alarmed and withdrew
his arm suddenly, so that the air en-
tered the opened vein. This is said
to have caused his death. Such is
the legend.
4 few years later the same Cardinal
whO,had advised this weird remedy
for the Pope lay dying from hemorr-
hage which nothing could stop. He
caused young FlOrentine boy to
give him portion of his blood on
payment OF 1000 scudi, or about $4,000,
pretty large sum for that time, yet
not too dear, if the tale is to be
trusted, since the Cardinal recovered
and lived for twenty years longer.
In the seventeenth century another
italian physician is said to have "Op-
Grated the TRANSMISSION of blood up
on many patients, in particular upon
a COnsumptive person, who was bied
at first in order to draw out ali the
bad blood" The result says the
chronicler of the time, was admirably
satisfactory in this case, "a in many
othes all the patients recovered
health and lived many years, celebra-
ting the marvellous physician.
Blood TRANSMISSION entered from
that moment, for the time being, INTO
the regular methods of medicine as
then practiCed; and doctors from
England, France, Spain, etc, went to
Italy to study the system, while pa
tents of wealth and of great renOWn
caused themselves 20 be carried to
padUa, Florence and Rome, where
they consulted the great doctors.
The selling of blood came to be a Iu-
crative business.
In the middle Of the eighteenth CEN
fury they began to substitute, as be-
ing 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 are still some
discrepancies regarding the best
method of making the operation.
Miguel ROssi, of MOdena, was opposed
to the school at Bologna, which
claimed that the patient must be bled
before being submitted to the trans
fusion OF blood. Professor ROssi de-
clared this to be dangerous. and at
best useless, except in cases OF poison
ing. He claimed that the blood vessels
are capable of containing more than
double the usual quantity of blood.
Later on discussion was rife also
in regard to the method then popular,
of Juan Pole, who instead of trans
ferring the blood into the veins of the
arm, as usually done, transfused it
from the artery of the arm of the blood
giver into the peritoneum of the pa.
tent. 1t was only between the wears
lS45 and 1880 that settled rules and
practice were adopted by physicians
in regard to blood TRANSMISSION, either
in the veins or the peritoneum. There
are medical statistics that 90 to show
cures, through this method, of rs per
cent in cases of lockjaw, hemorrhage,
phthisis, malarial fevers. anamia and
blood-poisoning.
AS to the practice of drinking blood
and bathing in it, in order to recover
health and beautify the complexion.