344 



Scientific Proceedings (123). 



tivity to demonstrate lethargy if it occurs following throidectomy. 

 An apparatus has been constructed by which the cretin's capacity 

 for muscular exertion can be compared with that of the normal 

 lamb. It is essentially an inclined plane the angle of which can 

 be altered at will. It is not difficult to induce the sheep to ascend 

 the incline and so strong is the flock instinct that a sheep too weak 

 to follow the others will continue its attempts until exhausted. 



165 (1912) 



The deleterious effect of sodium citrate on the blood with partic- 

 ular reference to the H-ion concentration. 



By RALPH R. MELLON, WILLARD S. HASTINGS and GERTRUDE M. CASEY. 



[From the Highland Hospital Laboratories, Rochester, New York.] 



Experiments were undertaken to determine whether the effects 

 recently reported by Unger 1 to result from the action of sodium 

 citrate on the blood when added in the proportions used in trans- 

 fusion might not be related in some way to the hydrogen-ion con- 

 centration of the solution used. These effects, as given by Unger, 

 included the formation of a substance derived from the stroma of 

 the red cells which is anticomplementary in the Wassermann re- 

 action, the red cells being at the same time rendered more fragile, 

 together with a direct interference with the action of complement, 

 a practical destruction of the phagocytic activity of the leuco- 

 cytes, and a reduction in the effect of opsonin. 



Three sodium citrate solutions (2 per cent.) having P H values 

 of 4.1, 7.25 and 9.56 were added to blood in ratios of 1 : 2 and 1 : 9. 

 With but an occasional exception the citrated plasmas thus ob- 

 tained showed no anticomplementary power. With both whole 

 blood and plasma a varying amount of precipitate usually appeared, 

 which increased on inactivation. It was not present in citrated 

 serum. The citrated extracts of washed red cells were not anti- 

 complementary. Repeated tests of the citrated blood for red-cell 

 fragility were negative, as indeed were the phagocytic indices of leu- 

 cocytes exposed to citrate. In the main our results were diametri- 

 cally opposite to those reported, regardless of the Pr of the solution 



1 Unger. L. J., J. A. M. A., 1921, lxxvii, 2107. 



