Abstract
It is widely appreciated that the majority of infants up to 3 months of age and frequently longer possess immunity to certain diseases, such as measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and poliomyelitis. Explanations for these facts have been varied. Most of the experimental data, however, points to the transplacental transmission of antigen or antibodies as being the most acceptable explanation for the presence of immunity in the new born infants, De Souza and Jorge 1 believing that the placenta may produce non-specific immune substances, utilized cord blood in the prophylaxis of measles. Their studies made during the years 1929 to 1932 showed that with 4-10 cc. of this blood they obtained 67-100% protections in 146 infants and children exposed to measles in hospital wards. Four children exposed at home and treated prophylactically developed ordinary measles. Finkelstein 2 had excellent results using 40-60 cc. of puerperal serum, 84.5% protections in 148 children, against 79.2% with similar doses of convalescent serum in 311 children. Others 3 had less favorable results, using 20 cc. of cord blood.
McKann and Chu 4 believed that by extracting the placenta, substances were obtained which represented maternal blood, fetal blood, and probably extracts from the placental tissue itself, whereas blood obtained from the umbilical cord represented fetal blood only, and contained only those substances involved in immunity to which the placenta is permeable. Using the globulin extract of placenta for measles prophylaxis they obtained excellent results. Forty-three susceptible children, hospitalized for other conditions, and exposed to measles, were injected intramuscularly with placental extract. In no instances did the injected placental extract fail to prevent or modify the measles in the susceptible contacts.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.