Abstract

1. It is shown that quantities of blood plasma may be withdrawn from an animal without apparent injury that exceed several times the maximum quantity of blood that can be safely drawn by the usual method of venesection provided that the corpuscular elements of the blood suspended in Locke's solution (0.6 per cent NaCl) be returned to the vascular system after each bleeding.

2. This procedure, which we have ventured to call plasmaphaeresis (from αφαíρ∈αis a withdrawal) has been applied by us in a number of preliminary experiments on dogs for the relief of the symptoms consequent on bilateral nephrectomy. The improvement in the clinical condition of the animals treated was marked, and in all but one case of accidental overbleeding they lived distinctly longer than the control animals. It appears probable from this preliminary work that a considerably greater prolongation of life by this method will be attained in future experiments, when the limits of the procedure and the details of the most advantageous technique have been developed.