PROGRESS OF THE ISOTOPIC METHODOLOGY 



1005 



The two very instructive examples of a strongly increasing rate of 

 exodus and replacement of iron atoms from the ])lasma demonstrated 

 l)y Figs. 4 and 5 are both taken from papers by Lawrence^^^^ and his 

 associates. One demonstrates the strongly enhanced plasma iron turnover 

 I ate when students are moved from sea level to a height of 5000 m. The 

 otJKn" the very marked exodus and replacement of plasma ironinpoly- 

 cythema vera patients and the slowing down of Ihis process after admi- 

 nistration of ^-P which depresses ihv hyperplasia of the bone marrow 



100 



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 to 



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 o 



o 



c 

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 u 

 c 

 o 

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Sea level 

 (Habitat) 



14 900 Feet 



I 



1 1 1 r 



1 2 3 4-56 



Hours following a single intravenous injection of iron59 



Fig. 4. — Plasma iron turnover of students at sea level and at 



14,900 feet. 



which is responsible for the increased red corpuscle formation in these 

 patients leading to an increased iron demand, thus a plasma iron flow 

 at a strongly enhanced rate. 



Dal Santo^^^) studied in our laboratory the change in the rate of the 

 replacement of iron atoms in the plasma of neoplastic patients. The sub- 

 jects investigated were 23 patients of Dr. Kottmeyer, the director 

 of the gynaecological department of the Radiumhemmet in Stockholm, 

 all suffering from cancer of the uterine cervix in the first, second and 

 third stage of development. As seen from Fig. 6 ^^Fe and thus all iron 

 atoms present leave the plasma in most cases at a markedly enhanced 

 rate. As however the iron content of the plasma of the subjects investi- 

 g ated was in most cases markedly lower than in normals, the mg n iron 



