Experimental Purpura

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Abstract
Although purpura has been known for a long time as a disease in which hemorrhages occur spontaneously or from slight provocations, it has only been of late that we have recognized the fact that a condition may exist in the individual wherein after the tissues have been cut or bruised, they will bleed for an abnormally long time. Neither the person so afflicted nor his medical attendant is cognizant of his condition because these patients do not show outward signs of the disease except after sustaining an accidental or surgical wound. Associated with this prolonged bleeding is a diminution in the number of blood platelets and the red blood cells are easily laked by hypotonic or hypertonic salt solutions. Hess (1), who has studied this condition carefully, suggests that in the blood stream of these individuals there exists a toxic substance which has the power of dissolving the blood platelets and of rendering the erythrocytes easily laked by heterotonic salt solution and that this substance causes a disturbance in the nutrition of the lining of the blood vessels.

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