INFLUENCE OF THE CONTACTING SURFACE ON THE COAGULABILITY AND ANTICEPHALIN ACTIVITY OF NORMAL AND HEMOPHILIC PLASMAS

Abstract

The coagulation of blood is slower when in contact with surfaces like paraffin, collodion and certain plastics, than when in contact with glass. Surfaces like paraffin preserve anticephalin activity much longer than glass, and thereby help to maintain the conversion of prothrombin into thrombin by cephalin at a slow rate. Dilution of the plasma or contact with certain adsorbents (asbestos wool fibers, kaolin, infusorial earth) reduce or eliminate anticephalin activity and thereby enhance the coagulability of the plasma. Contact of plasma with these adsorbents (10 mg. adsorbent to 1 ml. plasma for 2 hrs. at 20[degree]C) efface the difference in coagulability and anticephalin activity between normal and hemophilic plasma. Plasma separated from blood taken from individuals after a severe hemorrhage has a low anticephalin activity, and behaves like that in contact with a small amt. of adsorbent (e.g. asbestos wool fibers) for a short period of time.