The factors of coagulation in the experimental aplastic anemia of Benzol poisoning : with special reference to the origin of prothrombin / by S.H. Hurwitz, M.D., and C.K. Drinker, M.D.

  • Hurwitz, S. H.
Date:
[1915?]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The factors of coagulation in the experimental aplastic anemia of Benzol poisoning : with special reference to the origin of prothrombin / by S.H. Hurwitz, M.D., and C.K. Drinker, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    lets reached as low a level as 180,000, the white cells 1,200, and the red cells 2,800,000. Determinations of the coagulation time of the recalcified plasma during this period showed variations between nine and eighteen minutes, the time becoming less than normal (six min¬ utes) toward the end of the experiment. This shows that the pro¬ thrombin content of the blood remained normal in spite of the long period of intoxication and the quite well marked drop in the platelets. The first antithrombin determinations were made two weeks after the experiment began; this factor was followed subsequently, and at the completion of the experiment no change was noted from the initial determination. The fibrinogen in the blood fell precipitously during the last three weeks of the experiment. From an initial high level of 0.900 of a gram it fell to 0.273 of a gram. At the time of the last determina¬ tion, the animal was much emaciated, having lost about 4°° grams in weight. This is the only instance in which we have observed such an extensive reduction in fibrinogen following benzol poisoning. We jare not prepared to explain this, unless it is due to the gradual wast¬ ing and emaciation which developed during the long period of in¬ toxication. At autopsy we were interested to find that this animal showed evi¬ dences of a wide-spread regeneration of the bone marrow. Zones of aplasia still were present, but these were small. Parenchymal ele¬ ments were found scattered diffusely in long strands throughout the edematous reticulum. Granulocytes and normoblasts were present in abundance, and the megakaryocytes were also found in consider¬ able number. The relatively high platelet count, in spite of lepeated benzol injections, is in keeping with such a regenerating marrow. summary of results. Formed Elements.—By referring to tables III and IV, it will be seen that all the formed elements are reduced materially in the blood of benzolized rabbits, although the leucotoxic action is the most pronounced. In normal rabbits the average leucocyte count is 7,820 with variations between 11,000 and 4,200. With few excep¬ tions benzol injections cause a striking drop in the count.. In our series the white cells dropped to an average level of i,39°» with varia