A Relation of Some Trials of the Same Operation, Lately Made in France

He thought he had enough; we drew the pipe out of his vein, the sheep's blood ran through it with a full stream, which it had not done, if there had been any stop before, in the space of those two minutes; the blood being so very apt to coagulate in the pipes upon the least stop, especially the pipes being so long as three quills. The man after this operation, as well as in it, found himself very well, and hath given in his own narrative under his own hand, enlarging more upon the benefit, he thinks, he hath received by it, than we think fit to own as yet. He urg'd us to have the experiment repeated upon him within 3 or 4 days after this; but it was thought advisable, to put it off somewhat longer. And the next time, we hope to be more exact, especially in weighing the emittent animal before and after the operation, to have a more just account of the quantity of blood, it shall have lost. A Relation Of some Trials of the same Operation, lately made in France. 1. M. Denys, Professor of the Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy at Paris, in a letter of his to the publisher relateth, That they had lately transmitted the blood of four weathers into a horse of 26 years old, and that this horse had thence received much strength, and more than an ordinary stomach. 2. The same person was pleased to send to the same hand a printed letter, written to the Abbot Bourdelot by M. Gadroys, being an answer to a paper of one M. Lamy, and confirming the transfusion of blood by new experiments. In this answer the author is vindicating the transfusion from objections; where first he takes notice, That, whereas the objector undertakes to refute the experiments made, by simple ratiocinations, it ought to be considered, that the quadrilibetical learning of the schools is capable enough to find arguments for and against all sorts of opinions, but that there is nothing, but experience, that is able to give give the Verdict and the last Decision, especially in matters of Natural Philosophy and Physick: That a hundred years ago, there were no Arguments wanting to prove, that Antimony or the Vinum Emeticum was poison; the use of it being then forbidden by a Decree of the Faculty of Physicians; and that at this day there are no Arguments wanting, to prove the contrary, and to assert, That it is a Purgative of great importance, follow'd with wonderful effects, the same Faculty having publish'd a Decree the last year, by which it permits, and even ordains the use thereof. So that it ought to be said, that Sole Experience hath determin'd this matter, and that the Recovery of many persons, and amongst them, of the Most Christian King himself, hath more conduced to convince Men of its usefulness, than all the bare Ratiocinations, that could be employed to defend it. And so it is with all Remedies, there being not one, that is not approved by some Physician or other, who thinks to have reason on his side, and disapprov'd at the same time by others of that Profession, who conceive to have it on theirs: Whereas He certainly is to be esteemed the most Rational, that in these matters is guided by good Experience. And since the Transfusion of Blood is a new thing (unknown for ought we know) to all former Ages, ingenious Men, and lovers of the Increase of the Stock, serving for the relief and conveniencies of Human Life, do no more, in this particular, than propose and recommend it to generous and unprejudicate Physicians, to judge of its agreeableness to Human Bodies, and to make trials of it accordingly; themselves esteeming, that since it concerns the Health and Life of Man, it cannot be examin'd too severely; though at the same time they conceive, that 'tis unequal to stand herein to the verdict of such arrogant Men, who from a self-conceit of knowing all things already, are very impatient at any thing discover'd, which they have not thought on themselves: Those Men being the best advised and the most to be relied on, who do not precipitate their Judgment, but stay for many Experiments, carefully made, to conclude themselves by. For which purpose, the Author wishes, that Persons in power would cause a good number of Experiments of this Invention to be made, and examin them either themselves, or give order to prudent and free-spirited Physicians and Chirurgeons to do so. Among Among the Objections, (which the Author finds to be generally grounded upon inconsiderations, mistakes, and a supposition, as if peremptory Affirmations touching the effects of this Transfusion were obtruded, whereas all is left to the success of Experiments faithfully made) there is one, directed against the effects of that operation, which appeared in the young Man, who (by Mr. Denys's Relation in his printed Letter to Monsieur De Montmor) after he had received the Arterial Blood of a Lamb, was cured of an extraordinary Lethargy, consequent to a violent Fever, wherein he had been let blood 20 times. And the Objection is, That the lively apprehension the said young Man had of a remedy so unusual, and whereof the success could not but appear very dubious to him, and so render him exceedingly anxious, did so rouse his spirits, and put them into such motion, as to disengage them from that embarasment, which hindered their diffusion; upon which disentanglement follow'd all the other good effects, that are imputed to the Transfusion. To this Conceit the Answerer replies, That if the Apprehension could have cured this young Man, the Cure would doubtless have been effected 24 hours before the Transfusion, because he then happen'd to have a very great one, by falling down stairs; as was also observed in Mr. Denys his Relation of this Experiment. Besides, that this Patient was noted to be so far from apprehending or fearing this Operation, that he did not so much as know, what the Transfusion was; but thought, the Lamb was only applied to his Arm, to suck from him his ill Blood, as he was made to believe, after an ancient and usual way. To that Objection, wherein some put weight, viz., That there is a great difference between the Flesh we eat for food, and the Blood that is transmitted immediately into the Veins; the former undergoing a great Alteration, which the latter does not: Our Author replies, That of the three principal Digestions of the Aliment, that have been always distinguish'd by Authors, the First, which is made in the Stomach, is not considerable in comparison of the two others, which are made of the Chyle and the Blood, in the Heart, the Liver, and generally in all the parts that receive nutrition, which he illustrates by this: That as the Coction, which is made of the Juices of the Earth in the Root and and Heart of the Trunk of a Tree, does not so much serve to the production of this or that Fruit, as the last Filtration, that is made of those Juyces in the small Fibres of the Grafts; so also all those Digestions, which are supposed to be made in the Stomach and the Heart or the Liver of Animals, do not so much serve to give the particles of the Aiment thole Figures, which they require to be converted into the substance of Man, as the diversity of Pores, that strain them last of all, and differ in the Bones, Flesh, Cartilages, and other parts; in which the Ancients for this reason did admit as many different Assimilating faculties. Now, saith he, though the new Blood, which is given in the Transfusion, undergoes not the first Concoction, made in the Stomach, yet it suffers the two others, in making many Circulations together with the native blood; and that therefore nothing hinders, but it may be fit to be changed into the substance of Man, without inconvenience. The rest of the Objections, here alledged, seeming to be of no moment, though answered by our Author, we shall here pass by, and, for a general answer to all, employ Experience, and these several successful Transfusions, he relates; as those of Lambs-blood into Dogs, which, after the space of several months from the time of the Operation, do not only live, but are very well, and some of them grown fatter than they were before; and of Kids blood into a little Spaniel bitch of 12 years of age, which, a little while after the Operation, grew vigorous and active, and even proud in less than eight days. To which, he adds a considerable Experiment, lately made upon a person, that had been for three weeks afflicted with the complicated Distempers of an Hepatic Flux, a Lientery, and a bilious Diarrhoea, accompanied with a very violent Fever; and had been attended by four Physicians, who having blooded, purged, and clystered him, as much as they thought fit, he grew at last so weak, that lie was unable to stir, lost his speech and senses, and vomited all he took: whereupon they altogether despairing of and abandoning the Patient, and declaring that they did so, in the presence of divers persons of honor, consented to have the Experiment of Transfusion made upon the Patient, which his Relations had proposed, as the last Refuge; very unwilling to omit any thing, that might seem probable to rescue a dying Man. man. M. Denys and M. Emmerey were besought to employ this last succours. But they, seeing the deplored state of the Sick, absolutely refused to make the tryal, alleging, that the Transfusion was not a means to restore either the solid parts, or to cure a Gangrene, which was apparently in his Intestines; they should have used it sooner, and at the very time, when the great evacuations of blood were made in the Patient. But, notwithstanding all this, they were exceedingly press'd to comply with their desires, and not to let their Friend dye without trying all means possible. They, being overcome by this importunity, and having secured their honour and safety, by the declaration above mentioned of the Physicians, and by their consent to the tryal of this Experiment, transfused into his Veins a small quantity of Calves blood in a morning; whereupon, though this Patient was already in a Lethargy, and convulsive, and had a very low and creeping pulse, yet, behold, an unexpected change happen'd to him. His pulse grew higher in an instant, and became more vigorous, his Convulsions ceased, he look'd fixedly on the Bystanders spoke pertinently, and in divers Languages to those that spoke to him, and fell into a very quiet sleep. Awakening three quarters of an hour after, he took several Breaths for the rest of the day, not vomiting at all, nor having any stool, although for three days before he could take nothing at the Mouth, nor had had any intermission of his looseness since the very beginning of his sickness. Having thus remained for 24 hours, his forces began to diminish again, and his pulse to grow low, and the looseness to return. His Friends then urged a second Transfusion, which being at last performed the next morning, the Patient indeed recover'd some vigour again, but that was of a short duration. For though then also he took his broth well, without vomiting, yet he voided still by stool, and at noon he began to decline, and about 5 at night he died, without the appearance of any convulsions. His body being open'd before the Physicians, the Ileon was found return'd into itself from the top to the bottom, and below that knot unto the anus the Bowels were all livid, gangren'd, and of an unsupportable stench. His Pancreas was extraordinarily hard, and so obstructed, that the Pancreatick Juice had no liberty to diffuse itself into the Guts. His spleen was very thick, and his Liver big, and in some places livid. The Heart very dry, and, as 'twere, burnt. And having found the Vein, by which the Transfusion had been made, there was, from the place of the opening of the Arm, to the Heart, almost no blood found in it, no more than in the other Veins, nor in the Ventricles of the Heart, for as much as that little, he received, had been imbibed by his hot and dry Flesh. All which this Author assures, can be attested both by a dozen persons of great veracity, who were present at this dissection, and confirmed by the Certificates given by the Physicians themselves; to be sent to the Parents of the deceased Stranger, who is the very same with him, of whom a less punctual account was given, Numb.28. p. 519. Some new Experiments Of injecting Medicated Liquors into Veins, together with the considerable Cures perform'd thereby. This was lately communicated in a Letter from Dantzick written by Dr. Fabricius, Physician in Ordinary to that City, which out of the Latin we thus English. Forasmuch as we had a great desire to experiment; what would be the effects of the Chirurgery of injecting Liquors into Humane Veins, three fit Subjects presenting themselves in our Hospital, we thought good to make the Tryal upon them. But seeing little ground to hope for a manifest operation from only Altering Medicines, we esteemed, the Experiment would be more convenient and conspicuous from Laxatives; which made us inject by a Syphon about two Drachms of such a kind of Physick into the Median Vein of the right Arm. The Patients were these. One was a lusty robust Souldier dangerously infected with the Venereal Disease, and suffering grievous protuberatings of the bones in his Arms. He, when the purgative Liquor was infused into him, complained of great pains in his Elbows, and the little valves of his Arm did swell so visibly, that it was necessary by a gentle compression of ones fingers to stroke up that swelling towards the Patients shoulders. Some 4 hours after, it began to work; not very troublesome; and so it did the next day, inso-much that the Man had five good stools after it. Without any other