The hemolytic reactions of the blood in dogs with transplantable lymphosarcoma

Abstract

Dogs with lympho-sarcoma in every stage of growth were made use of, including those in which growth was active and progressive, those in which the tumor was quiescent, those in which the growth was regressing, and those in which recovery with complete absorption of the tumor had taken place. Some of the dogs were in good general condition, others were cachectic. Controls were also made use of, including dogs in poor and in good condition. In all, the material comprised 34 dogs, 18 with a tumor history, and 16 without. These were all bled from the femoral artery or jugular vein. In all of these dogs, blood was obtained for serum, and for a 1 per cent. suspension of corpuscles. The serum of each animal was tested on the corpuscles of a number of other animals in order to determine its hæmolytic power. Up to the present time over 300 such tests have been made. The serum obtained from tumor dogs is almost without exception possessed of hemolytic power. This is least marked in the early and active stages of tumor growth, more so in the broken down and softened tumors. It persists even in the dogs which have recovered of their tumors. The corpuscles of the tumor dogs manifest a much greater resistance to this hemolytic activity of the serum than do the corpuscles of other dogs.

The characteristics of this hemolytic substance in the serum of tumor dogs have been the subject of further study. The serum loses some, or only little of its power, by being passed through a Rerkefeld filter. Heating it to 85° for one hour does not destroy its activity. It differs markedly from the immune bodies known as amboceptors. It resembles in certain respects the hemolytic substances derived by extraction from necrotic tumors.