56 



Scientific Proceedings (47). 



39 (648) 



Influence of anemia and hyperemia on the growth of sarcoma 



in the white rat. 



By M. J. SITTENFIELD. 



[From the Department of Pathology of Columbia University, 

 College of Physicians and Surgeons.] 



From previous experimentation, it becomes evident that cer- 

 tain physiological and pathological factors on the part of the 

 organism, as starvation, pregnancy, the feeding of various salts, 

 racial differences, and so on, exert a decided influence upon the 

 growth of transplanted tumor tissue. Moreschi in his experiments 

 in 1909 concluded that under-feeding and starvation of the animal 

 predisposes to retardation of the transplanted mouse carcinoma. 

 Cluett, Mercier, and others have shown that during pregnancy 

 the progress of the growth of the tumor which may be at a stand- 

 still shortly before the ending of pregnancy, is very much lessened, 

 and after labor and during lactation may even recede, i. e., that 

 the growth of one tissue exerts an unfavorable influence upon the 

 artificially transplanted tissue growth of another. 



Negre, Borrell's pupil, was able to control the percentage of 

 takes by increasing or diminishing the salt contents of the fluids 

 and tissues of the body. This proves conclusively that the sub- 

 cutaneously transplanted tumor is dependent upon a great many, 

 as yet unknown, conditions of the host, and also upon its metabolic 

 changes. 



The present experiments were undertaken with a view to study- 

 ing the effect of tumor growth in a locally induced anemic and 

 hyperemic condition in the white rat. The lower extremity of 

 the rat was rendered partially anemic by ligation of the femoral 

 artery at the saphenous opening, and a few hours subsequent, 

 it was observed that the extremity became slightly paler than the 

 opposite one, though there was no evident lack of circulation; 

 and twenty-four, forty-eight, and seventy-two hours after this 

 induced anemia, Ehrlich's rat sarcoma was inoculated sub- 

 cutaneously into the leg. This experiment was performed on 

 forty animals; of these thirty- three survived four to ten weeks, 



