BLOOD. 



BOLIVIA. 



extent that, coming in contact with the edges 

 of a wound, they become adhesive, as when in 

 contact with a foreign body. In accumulating 

 little by little around the open orifice of a ves- 

 sel, they form there an obstacle at first insuffi- 

 cient ; then, the first haeinatoblasts being ar- 

 rested, they retain in their turn those which 

 issue with the blood coming constantly in con- 

 tact with them; the orifice of the wound re- 

 tracts little by little, until finally it is complete- 

 ly closed by a solid and fixed plug. The other 

 elements of the blood and the formation of 

 fibrin only participate in this process in a sec- 

 ondary and accessory manner. The blood, 

 then, contains within itself a powerful haemo- 

 static agent, and, were it possible to remove 

 from the normal blood all of the hsernatoblasts, 

 the wound of a vessel would cause a hemor- 

 rhage which would have no tendency to cease 

 spontaneously. 



These experimental facts have a practical 

 application of importance. All foreign bodies 

 alter and retain the haematoblasts, and in this 

 way is easily explained the formation of intra- 

 vascular clots in living persons by the contact 

 of diseased points in the cardiac or vascular 

 walls. In the same way may be understood 

 the haemostatic action of foreign substances 

 brought into contact with the surface of the 

 wound, notably those of a pulverulent or 

 spongy nature. According to the experiments 

 of M. Hayem the modifications of the haema- 

 toblasts are favored by an elevation of tem- 

 perature, and are extremely active at a tem- 

 perature a little above that of the body. He 

 asks if this may not explain the good effects 

 of hot-water injections and applications in the 

 treatment of hemorrhages. For, to the action 

 of water, which is in itself effective upon the 

 haomatoblasts, is added that of heat. Again, 

 for blood to cease flowing it must contain 

 hsematoblasts, and these must be impression- 

 able to the contact of foreign bodies. In 

 animals like the horse, whose blood is only 

 slightly coagulable, the haamatoblasts are modi- 

 fied with comparative slowness. Again, these 

 elements may undergo alterations in number 

 and quality in cases of disease, and it may be 

 concluded that in certain cases the constitution 



of the blood itself may be a predisposing cause 

 of haemorrhage following the least vascular 

 injury. That singular malady known as haemo- 

 philia, the victims of which are known in 

 popular language as " bleeders," is perhaps pre- 

 cisely the consequence of a particular state of 

 the haematoblasts. 



A practical example of the importance of 

 this view may be given. The case is one of 

 extreme and frequently repeated bleeding from 

 the nose, and the patient is at the point of death 

 from the loss of blood. For thirty years the 

 patient has been subject at intervals to such 

 attacks. On examining the blood, the fact of 

 the relative rarity of the haematoblasts, and of 

 their feeble vulnerability, is apparent the 

 changes which they undergo out of the organ- 

 ism occurring much more slowly than natural. 

 It is suspected, therefore, that the bleeding, 

 which has lasted for three weeks, and which 

 returns whenever the plug is removed from 

 the nose for a few hours, is due to these 

 changes ; and that by transfusing into the pa- 

 tient a certain quantity of normal blood con- 

 taining active haematoblasts, the condition may 

 be modified to advantnge. A small quantity of 

 venous blood is, therefore, injected into the 

 patient's veins, and the nose-bleed is imme- 

 diately and definitely arrested. The plugs are 

 removed, but the bleeding does not return. It 

 is evident that the conveying into the blood 

 of the patient new and healthy blood from 

 another body has effected a cure, and the active 

 element in the cure is probably the haBmato- 

 blasts. 



BOLIVIA (Republica de Bolivia), an independent 

 state of South America, whose limits before 

 the war on the Pacific were between latitudes 

 10 and 24 south, and longitudes 57 25' and 

 TO 30' west. The western limit has still to be 

 negotiated between Bolivia and Chili. It is 

 bounded on the north and northeast by Brazil, 

 on the south by the Argentine Republic and 

 Chili, and on the west by Peru. 



The republic previous to the war was divided 

 into nine departments, which, with their areas 

 in square miles, capitals, and population (exclu- 

 sive of 250,000 savage Indians), were approxi- 

 mately as follows :- 



The result of the war between Bolivia and 

 Peru on the one hand, and Chili on the other, 

 terminated in 1883, has been to deprive Bolivia 

 of its former outlet on the Pacific, Cobija, but 

 the treaty of peace which was being negotiated 

 between Bolivia and Chili at Santiago, at the 



close of that year, may still lead to a territorial 

 rearrangement which shall give Bolivia the 

 coveted port or ports. Should Bolivia be dis- 

 appointed in this respect, Brazil is said to be 

 ready to facilitate Bolivian trade through San 

 Antonio on the Madeira river. Brazil would 



