COMPARISON OF HEMATOPOIESIS IN THE FETUS AND DURING RECOVERY FROM PERNICIOUS ANEMIA

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Data for erythrocyte counts, mean corpuscular volume and diam., and proportion of nucleated red corpuscles and reticulo-cytes in the blood of fetuses of man, the rabbit, rat and pig, are recorded graphically. In very young fetuses the erythrocyte counts are very low and the red corpuscles are very large as compared with the values in adults of each species. As the fetus develops the red cell count rises and the size of the cells decreases. Comparison is made with similar changes in the blood of cases of pernicious anemia during liver therapy and it is concluded that in many respects the blood of the mammalian fetus resembles that of cases of pernicious anemia which are being subjected to an effective, continuous and extremely potent stimulus. It is suggested that this stimulation is afforded by a substance similar to or identical with the antianemic principle of Castle which probably passes from the stores of the mother to the fetus through the placental circulation. If this is true, "pernicious anemia" of pregnancy may be explained as the result of withdrawal of antianemic principle by the fetus in excess of the capacity of the mother to produce it. Certain anemias of newborn and premature infants may be the result of a deficiency of this principle. The observations recorded also indicate that the macrocytosis of the new-born represents a final stage in the development of the blood of the fetus.