656 FKEDEKICK S. HAMMETT 



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secretion of milk as the result of the administration of placenta! prepara- 

 tions of one sort or another, thus apparently confirming Niklas, yet 

 Kehrer, Munk and Kleinwachter opposed, and with logic, the idea of a 

 placental influence on the hasis of the fact that lactation is inhibited dur- 

 ing pregnancy. The inhibitory influence of the placenta was conceded by 

 Halban, Fellner, and Fieux, supported by the experiments of MacKenzie, 

 and Gaines, and the investigations of Biedl and Konigstein, Lane-Claypon 

 and Starling, Foa and Frank and linger presented sufficient evidence to 

 effectually disprove the idea that the placenta has any marked stimulating 

 effect on mammary function. As a bit of confirmatory evidence, it may 

 also be noted that neither McNeile nor Hammett was able to observe any 

 quantitative effect on milk secretion when desiccated placenta was fed to 

 lactating women. 



The Placenta as a Factor in Postpartum Qualitative Changes in the 

 Milk. Hammett and McXeile studied the effect of the ingestion of 

 desiccated placenta on the qualitative changes occurring in the milk 

 secreted, w r ith the aim of determining whether or not the placenta has an 

 influence upon the variations that take place in the chemical composition 

 during the first few days of lactation. Eight normally lactating women 

 ingested ten grains of desiccated placenta in capsules three times a day, 

 beginning at delivery. The variations in the protein, fat, and lactose 

 per cent occurring were compared with the variations in these constituents 

 in the milk obtained from eight women not being given the placental 

 material. Only subjects who had had normal deliveries were studied, 

 and throughout the period of investigation the diet was the same for all. 

 During the first eleven days after parturition, some differences in the 

 constituents mentioned, in the experimental as compared with normal 

 subjects obtained. Quantitatively the plane of production for lactose and 

 protein was raised, while that for fat was slightly decreased, although 

 the general trend of pcstpartum alterations in secretion remained the same 

 in both groups. The number of subjects for this investigation was admit- 

 tedly small but the results, so far as they go, show a tendency for the quality 

 of the milk to be slightly changed as a result of placental administration. 



The Placenta as a Factor in Uterine Changes of Pregnancy. The 

 changes taking place in the uterine substance, following the implantation 

 of the ovum, are of such a character as to draw attention to the question 

 of the stimulus causing the alterations. Fellner, on histological examina- 

 tion following the injection of placental extracts, observed an increase in 

 uterine glandular tissue accompanied by hypertrophy. The opinion of 

 Halban, Letulle and Nattan-Larrier and Bouchacourt that the nature of 

 the stimulus to this hypertrophy is chemical and the source, in part at 

 least, placental, seems to be justified. 



The Placenta as a Factor in Eclampsia. An interesting and complete 

 historical resume of what was known of eclampsia up to 1901 is given 



