Abstract
We 1 have previously reported that patients with achlorhydria and hypochromic anemia fail to show increased hemoglobin formation upon the daily ingestion of a diet rich in food iron. However, with the feeding of a similar meal previously digested in vitro with hydrochloric acid and pepsin, satisfactory hemoglobin production did occur. In addition, a group of patients with a similar type of anemia responded to large doses of iron. It was concluded from these studies that chronic idiopathic hypochromic anemia was presumably due to a deficiency of iron wherein gastric dysfunction led to a failure in utilization of organic (dietary) iron.
Another group of experiments 2 completed in our laboratory show that in dogs gastrectomy greatly decreased the ability to form hemoglobin from beef protein. The results of such an experiment are recorded in Fig. 1. It is to be noted that the average daily output of hemoglobin was about 0.86 gm. while the dogs were on the standard bread ration, but was increased to 2.26 gm. when 250 gm. of beef were added to the diet. Following gastrectomy the hemoglobin was reduced to an average daily output of 0.4 gm. and 0.21 gm., on the standard bread diet and beef diet respectively.
The present study was undertaken to determine the effects of predigested beef, of iron, and of liver extract on hemoglobin production in the same series of gastrectomized dogs.
The animals used in this study were maintained in a condition of basal production of hemoglobin by bleedings frequent enough to keep a hemoglobin level of from 6 to 9 gm. per 100 cc. of blood. The hemoglobin output over a given period of time was estimated by calculating the amount of hemoglobin removed at each bleeding, according to the method of Whipple.
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