36 



Scientific Proceedings (26). 



20 (276) 



Concerning the relation of the coagulation time of the blood 

 to thrombosis in phlebitis. 



By HARLOW BROOKS and B. C. CROWELL. 



[From the Pathological Laboratory of the New York University 

 and Bellevue Hospital Medical College^ 



The etiological factors or conditions concerned in the produc- 

 tion of thrombosis may be briefly summarized as : 



(1) Those due to central or peripheral slowing of the blood 

 stream. 



(2) Those associated with lesions in the walls of the blood 

 vessels. 



(3) Alterations in the blood itself, such as tend to favor 

 coagulation. 



In actual cases, it appears without exception that two or more 

 of these factors are associated in the production of thrombosis. 

 Although the etiological agents mentioned above are generally 

 accepted as the correct interpretation of thrombosis, it must be 

 remembered that experimentally, as well as clinically, very dis- 

 cordant results are reported as to the causation of thrombosis, 

 notably such as occurs in clinical phlebitis. Until more certain 

 data are secured in regard to the process, but little can be expected 

 in the way of successful prophylactic treatment or in the certain 

 prognosis of those instances in which this lesion is to be feared. 



The object of this brief study has been an attempt to show to 

 what extent increased and decreased coagulability of the blood, 

 artificially induced, may play a part in the production of throm- 

 bosis, or, expressed, in other words, whether in conditions pro- 

 ductive of phlebitis, thrombosis is more likely to occur when the 

 coagulation time of the blood has been lowered artificially or less 

 apt to take place when analogous artificial means have been em- 

 ployed to prolong the coagulation time of the blood. 



Our experiments have been conducted on a series of young 

 and healthy rabbits, one third of which have had their coagulation 

 time reduced by daily administration of 2 gms. of calcium lactate, 

 an equal number of animals whose coagulation time has been arti- 



