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For a number of years we have been struck by the absence of truly pathologic lesions as a cause of death among many of the immature infants born in the Pennsylvania Hospital. Many of these infants appeared to have died of respiratory failure, as evidenced by cyanosis and gasping respirations in the presence of seemingly normal cardiac function. In fact, it was usual for the heart to continue beating even after respirations had ceased. Numerous embryologic studies on the development of the fetal lung and the lining of the alveoli have been made ; yet in the literature there has been little discussion of the clinical significance of the results of such studies. Although death in the premature infant is undoubtedly caused by a complex mechanism which includes anatomic and metabolic dysfunction of numerous organs, it seemed desirable to make an anatomic study of the fetal lung to determine what bearing immaturity might have on respiratory failure. MATERIAL AND METHODSTwenty-two infants who either were dead or died within twenty-two days of birth were selected for study. None of the stillborn infants were macerated and so far as could be determined, all died during labor. It was estimated that the infants, whose crown to heel measurements ranged from 15 to 53 cm., varied in age from 4 lunar months to full term. At necropsy the thoracic cavity was opened and the right main bronchus was occluded by a ligature. Through a soft rubber catheter, inserted by way of the trachea into the left main bronchus, a 10 per cent concentra¬ tion of solution of formaldehyde U. S. P. was allowed to flow by gravity until the lung filled the left thoracic cavity. The pressure of the injected fluid in no instance exceeded 20 cm. of water. As the catheter was removed the main bronchus was
For a number of years we have been struck by the absence of truly pathologic lesions as a cause of death among many of the immature infants born in the Pennsylvania Hospital. Many of these infants appeared to have died of respiratory failure, as evidenced by cyanosis and gasping respirations in the presence of seemingly normal cardiac function. In fact, it was usual for the heart to continue beating even after respirations had ceased. Numerous embryologic studies on the development of the fetal lung and the lining of the alveoli have been made ; yet in the literature there has been little discussion of the clinical significance of the results of such studies. Although death in the premature infant is undoubtedly caused by a complex mechanism which includes anatomic and metabolic dysfunction of numerous organs, it seemed desirable to make an anatomic study of the fetal lung to determine what bearing immaturity might have on respiratory failure. MATERIAL AND METHODSTwenty-two infants who either were dead or died within twenty-two days of birth were selected for study. None of the stillborn infants were macerated and so far as could be determined, all died during labor. It was estimated that the infants, whose crown to heel measurements ranged from 15 to 53 cm., varied in age from 4 lunar months to full term. At necropsy the thoracic cavity was opened and the right main bronchus was occluded by a ligature. Through a soft rubber catheter, inserted by way of the trachea into the left main bronchus, a 10 per cent concentra¬ tion of solution of formaldehyde U. S. P. was allowed to flow by gravity until the lung filled the left thoracic cavity. The pressure of the injected fluid in no instance exceeded 20 cm. of water. As the catheter was removed the main bronchus was
FIVE PLATES (ELEVEN FIGURES)At thc present time the question which concerns most investigators of lung structure is whether there is or is not a continuous cellular epithelial membrane lining the resipratory portion of the mammalian lung. Some workers believe that there is no adequate method for demonstrating the existence of a continuous epithelium lining the pulmonary alveoli in mammalian lungs. Although the silver nitrate method has been the one most extensively used for this purpose, during the past 15 years an increasing number of workers have concluded that it gives diverse and irregular results which have been interpreted fallaciously. Very recently, however, other workers have used solutions of silver nitrate and other silver salts and claim to have confirmed anew the findings of earlier workers who first applied this method to the study of the respiratory portion of the lung.However, among those who maintain, on the basis of silver nitrate studies, that mammalian pulmonary alveoli are lined by a continuous epithelial covering of endodermal origin, there
IXTRODUCTIONThe rcspiraiory system of uyuatic mammals and espccially that of whales has attracted in the past thc attention of numerous cornparativc anatomists as well as physiologists. From the point of view of the histolo,T of the respiratory portion of the lungs of aquatic mammals, a few descriptions 'nave gradually accumulated since the beginning of this century.To the latter belong the papers of Pick ('07) on Hulicore dugong ; Harbosa ( '14)' E'iebiger ( '16)' Lacoste and Baudrirnont ( '26) on the Nediterranean dolphin; Lacoste and Baudrimont ('33) on the harbor porpoise; Wislocki on the httlc-noscd porpoise ( '29) and thc Florida manatee ('35) ; Lauric ('33) arid Haynes and Laurie ( '37) on the large South Atlantic whales; Bonin and RQlanger ( '39) on thc Korth Atlantic whit c whale.All of these publications, however, have been limited mainly to a description of individual species, with the exception of Wislocki's paper on thc rnanatee ('35) which attempted to assemble certain comparative data. Finally, a recent study by Wislocki and BQlanger ( '40) has established certain salient differences between the lungs of thc larger Cctaoea and those of smaller specks.'Presented in partial fulfillmer~t of the degree of Master of Arts from the Graduate 8ehool of Arts mid Seicnees of IIarvssd University.
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