J. H. P. JONXIS 



both had a large amount of later haemoglobin. (This abnormality 

 was also found in other similar cases.) In the following days there 

 was considerable haemolysis, which concerned only the foetal haemo- 

 globin. In one case this breakdown went so far that in a few days 

 nearly all the foetal haemoglobin had disappeared {Figure 5). At the 

 same time the later haemoglobin of this child was not attacked. On 

 the 7th day of life only 6 gm of haemoglobin per 100 cc of blood 

 remained. On this day the child received a blood-transfusion of 

 80 cc of Rh. negative blood, which produced an increase of later 

 haemoglobin from 4-5 to 8-6 gm per 100 cc. In the following days 

 there was a decrease of the amount of later haemoglobin from 8-6 to 

 6-5 gm, caused partly by a slight breakdown of the transfused blood, 

 partly by an increase in the blood volume of 15 per cent during these 

 days. After the 16th day there was a limited rise in the amount of 

 foetal haemoglobin from 0-5 to 2-5 gm, this being the result of the 

 formation of new red cells containing foetal haemoglobin. 



12 16 20 

 Days of Life 



Figure 5. The amount of foetal 

 Hb and later Hb in 100 cc of 

 blood of an untreated baby with 

 severe erythroblastosis, caused 

 by Rh. antagonisms during the 

 first weeks of life. 



/Or— C 



Figure 6. The amount of foetal 

 Hb and later Hb in 100 cc of 

 blood of an untreated baby with 

 moderate erythroblastosis caused 

 by Rh. antagonisms during the 

 first weeks of life. 



4 1 **S— later 



*4^ 



Hb 



12 16 20 

 Days of Life 



24 28 



In the less severe case {Figure 6) the breakdown of the haemoglobin 

 did not go so far and came to a stop within 5 days with more foetal 

 haemoglobin left. It is clear that the Rhesus antibodies distinguish 



266 



