Trans-fu′sion-appa-ra′tus.
Apparatus for transfusing blood from one living animal into the veins of another.
The idea of renewing vital power by the transfusion of the blood seems to have been familiar to the ancients, and is found in the works of the alchemists of the
Middle Ages, who imagined that it might be the means of perpetuating youth.
Various successful experiments were tried upon the lower animals, but the first recorded operation of the kind on a human subject was by
Dr. Denis of
Paris, who, in June, 1667, injected eight ounces of arterial blood from a lamb into the veins of a child.
Subsequently calf's blood was infused into the veins of a maniac, who, shortly after, regained his reason.
These successes led to numerous other attempts of the kind, but the general results were such that the practice was forbidden by the Parliament of
Paris in 1668.
The injections were, in these cases, performed by means of a common syringe.
The operation was performed in
England at the same period, and was practiced by Lower, 1691.
A man that the college [Gresham] have hired for 20s to have some of the blood of a sheep let into his body, and it is to be done on Saturday next.
They purpose to let in about 12 ounces, which they compute will be let in in a minute's time by a watch. — Pepys's Diary, 21 Nov., 1667.
The experiment was performed at Arundel House two days afterward, upon the person of
Arthur Coga. ( “
Phil. Trans.,” No. 30, page 557.)
Pepys states that, on the 14th November, 1666, the blood of one dog was passed into the side of another, the latter losing its own blood by the opposite side.
The first dog bled to death; the latter, whose blood had been substantially withdrawn and substituted, recovered.
He suggests letting the blood of a Quaker into an archbishop to amend the life of the latter.
After the lapse of a century the subject was taken up by
Harwood, whose researches proved that blood could not be transfused from one animal to another belonging to a different natural family without fatal results to the latter.
More modern experiments, particularly those of
Prevost and
Dumas, show that the blood of calves or sheep injected into the veins of a cat or rabbit is fatal, and mammals, into whose veins the blood of birds is transfused, die. The experiments of MilneEd-wards and Lafond indicate that this result does not take place when the animals belong to nearly allied species: thus an ass, whose blood was nearly exhausted, was reanimated perfectly by the blood of a horse.
The difference of results in these cases appears to be attributable to the different sizes and shapes of the blood globules in animals; these vary much in different species, and later investigations show that the blood of those species whose globules do not differ greatly in form and dimensions from those of man may be injected without injurious results.
Prevost and
Dumas have shown that serum — that is, blood deprived of its fibrin and globules — is of no effect; while, on the other hand, when the fibrin has been destroyed by agitation, leaving the globules intact, strong revivifying effects are produced.
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Transfusion-apparatus. |
Fig. 6606 represents the process as practiced in
Paris.
The bared arm to the left is that of the blood-donor; the other that of the person into whose veins the blood is injected.
The blood flows from the arm of the former into a cup, is pumped from the lower part of the cup, and forced through a canula into the veins of the patient.
In order to prevent coagulation of the blood, the instrument is immersed in tepid water; the tubes used are of gold.
The aspirator is so arranged that no air can possibly enter with the blood.
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Aveling's transfusion-apparatus. |
Aveling's apparatus is shown in
Fig. 6607. The following directions are given for using it:—
The apparatus is immersed in a basin of tepid water, and the air expelled by compressing the bulb.
The arm of the patient having been bound, a fold of skin over a vein at the bend of the arm is raised, transfixed, and divided.
The vein is now seized with a pair of fine forceps, raised, an incision made into it, and a bevel-pointed silver tube
a inserted.
When this tube is taken out of the water it is kept full by placing the thumb over its orifice.
The arm of the blooddonor being brought into close proximity to that of the recumbent patient, an incision, as in ordinary blood-letting, is made into his arm, and the round-pointed tube
b inserted therein, by an assistant.
The india-rubber part of the apparatus, filled with water, and kept so by turning the cocks at each end, is now fitted into the two tubes, the cocks are opened, and the operation commenced by compressing the india-rubber tube on the efferent side
d, and squeezing the bulb
c; this forces two drachms of water into the afferent vein.
Next shift the hand from
d to
d′, and compress the tube on the afferent side, allowing the bulb to expand slowly, when blood will be drawn into it from the efferent vein.
By repeating this process, any quantity of blood can, at a desired rate, be transmitted, the amount being measured by counting the number of times the bulb is emptied.
