Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-14
TRANSMISSION OF BLOOD.
a Strange Remedy Once I'm Koputc.
fNeir York Trlhnnol

The present discussions respecting the
ncwlv-fuund elixir ol Dr.. Brown-Scquaid
recall 10 the mind what has been SAID ana
done during the last four centuries IN re-
gard 20 the direct TRANSMISSION OF tie hin""'
and the kindred therapeutic methods thtj
prescribe hlO0d-drink1g ana pl'Od-bath-
inc for the Use Of certain patients.
There are many legend Of masculine ana
feminine tyrants who I'm ancient times
tried. like Iibcgius and others. 90 rccoF Err
STRENGTH and health through drinking or
bathing in the blood of young boys ana
girls they caused 81 be put to DEAN. buy
the first authenticated ease of attempted
blood TRANSMISSION was IL 1872 the year
America was discovered. After Pope In
nocent VIII, who suffered from power
~ Of blood" that caused HIM ire
quent flints and continuous droWsi-
ness. had been declared lneunhle
by his six physicians, a cardinal
asked them whether ne could not be
saved by having the blood of some strong
individual transfused into his VEINS. Inc
doctors answered that this might happen,
but that. on account Of possible conSe-
uuences. the POpe's consent should FIRST be
obteued. The POntiG consented. after
having been told that the operation would
consist in introducing into his VEINS the
blood of n healthy person through the nr-
dunn of n thin tube which would uinp
ont the blood and introduce 1t instantly
and paiulcssiy in the VEN, because the
puncture of the vein would be very h&ht'
and very small also would he the extremity
Of the tube introduced INTO II. strong ana
healthy bow, Of the Canpagna Nomana,
or country around Rome, was picked cat,
but the operation could not be accom-
pished. The doctors were not used 20 IT,.
They tried uselessly with second suqecr
4 third one. a BIG fellow looking like %
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 with
drew his arm suddenly, $50 that AZ entered
the open 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 hcnoThage Whlch
nothing could stop. He caused u young
Florcntine boy 90 give BIN portion Of
lis blood. on payment Of 1000 scudl. or
about 5000, pretty large sum for that
time. vet not too dear, # the tale Is 20 be
trusted, since the Cardinal recovered, and
lived for twenty years longer.
In the seventeenth century another
Italian physician is said to have opr-
rated The TRANSMISSION of blood upon many
patients. i'm particular upon consumpuYe
uersor. who" was bled al first IN order to
draw out all the bad blood" The result,
savs tie chrouiclerof the time, wa admira-
civ satisfactory in this case rs IN many
others. an the patients recovered hcAlth
and lived for many years, celebrating the
marvellous physician.
BLOOD trausfusion entered from that mo-
mont. for the time being, into the regular
methods of medicine as then practced,
and doctors from England, France. SPAN,
etc, went 10 Italy "a study the system,
while pnticpts OF wealth and Of great re-
nown caused themselves TO bc carried 20
padua. Florence, and Rome, where they
consulted he great doctors. The selling Oh
blood came To be lucrative business.
I'm the middle OF the eighteenth century
they began TO substitute. as beng much
preferable. the blood of bulls and oxen Tor
tb8t on men. This system has never quite
zone ont. even IN our days. But there are
still some discrepancies respecting ne Dest
method of making the operation; Miguel
Rossi. of MOdcna, was opposed 70 lh'
school at Bologna, which claimed that the
patient must be bled before being sub
United 10 the trausfusion OF blood. Pro-
fessor Rossi declared this TO be dangerous.
and at best useless, except III case OF POI
souino. He claimed that the blood
vessels are capable of containing more
than double the usual quantity OF
blood. Later on discussion was RTE also
i'm regard to the method. then popular, OF
Juan Pole, who, instead OF Transferring
the blood into the VEINS of the arln' as
usually done. transfused It from the arte-
~ Of the arm Of the blood-giyer into the
periton@um Of the patient. 1t was only
between The years 1885 and 1850 that set
tied rules and practice were adopted by
physicians in regard to blood TRANSMISSION
either IN the veins or the pertonaum.
There are medical statistics that 80. TO
show cures. through this method. OF 70
per cent. ia cases of hemorrhege, lockJaw,
phthisis. malarial fevers, anamia, and
blOOd-pnisOnlng.
As 10 the practice of drinking blood and
bathing in il in order to recover health
aud beautify the complexion, 1t IS as an
Gent as the world itself No matter how
repulsiye the idea, it is said that people
soon get accustomed to il, and for some y
becones passion. For this purpose, II
reports may be trusted, the slaughter
houses of every city are more or less ne
quented 10y gentlemen, ladies. and clni--
drcn: and as 10 New York it Is claimed
that the great and nearly unique rendeZ-
yous OF the blood-drinking inyallds Is III
the slaughter-houses Of Jersey City.