ATYPICAL HEMOLYTIC ANEMIA

Abstract

TWO unusual cases of hemolytic anemia recently studied in the Strong Memorial Hospital presented excellent opportunities for exploring the usefulness of transfusion experiments in the investigation of hemolytic mechanisms. As a matter of additional interest, the serum of the first patient contained autohemagglutinins active against human cells of all types at body temperature and a₁ agglutinins, active against A₁ cells only. The latter agglutinins have been described in detail in a separate paper¹ devoted to blood subgroups. Some of the features of the second case have also been presented in another publication,² which dealt with the in vivo maturation and destruction of the patient's reticulocytes after transfusion to a small child. It has been amply demonstrated by means of the Ashby technic³ and its various modifications⁴ that transfused normal erythrocytes in the circulation of compatible "normal" recipients disappear in a linear fashion over a period of one