Art. IV. Notice of an Experiment on the Vascular Connexion of Mother and Fœtus

W. E. Horner
1833 American Journal of the Medical Sciences  
A WHITE female, aged twenty-four years, being in the ninth month of pregnancy, died, April 25 th, 1833, at the Philadelphia Alms¬ house. The next day, in the presence of several of the physicians and students, I injected through the aorta one gallon of the saturated solution of prussiate of potash, and afterwards an equal quantity of a saturated solution of sulphate of iron. The injection penetrated minutely, and the precipitate of Prussian blue was visible in many points of the skin, having
more » ... arted a deep tinge to the face. The uterus being exposed after a few minutes, the uterine arteries were found well injected, but the injection did not reach the umbilical chord as was ascertained by inspection; and also by chemical tests applied by my young friend, Dr. Goddard, who afforded me much assistance in the whole process, and to whose manipulations and sug¬ gestion I was indebted for the injecting articles used. Having removed the uterus, and conveyed it to the University, I resumed the experiment the next day in the presence of a large con¬ course of students and several practitioners. All the vessels of the umbilical cord were first injected with a saturated solution of bichro¬ mate of potash, and then with a saturated solution of sugar of lead; a beautiful yellow precipitate, the bichromate of lead, occurred wher¬ ever the injection reached. I then injected the uterine sinuses with the prussiate of potash and sulphate of iron, as on the day before. The umbilical vessels were then filled with plaster of Paris coloured yellow, and the sinuses of the uterus with the same coloured blue, the latter vessels received readily eighteen ounces of the plaster. A short time having been allowed for the settingof the injection, I then cut into the substance of the uterus and placenta. No yellow vessels marking the presence of the bichromate of lead were found in the sub¬ stance of the uterus. The placenta was much infiltrated with the prus¬ siate of iron, which had passed from the vessels of the uterus, and quan¬ tities of plaster were found in the cavity of the latter. It may also be mentioned, that in the progress of the injection into the uterine sinuses, the membranes were raised from the uterus in vesications. The parts were then put aside for future examination.
doi:10.1097/00000441-183312240-00004 fatcat:szm3gjb4snawndbjqb4zfj6vju