The Pathology of the Placenta.

The Significance of Placental Infarction in Perinatal Morbidity and Mortality

“…This is exemplified by the confusion surrounding the relationship between pre-eclamptic toxaemia and infarction of the placenta, about which three conflicting schools of thought have arisen (Table I). The first maintains that 'acute' infarcts of the placenta are pathognomonic of toxaemia and are, furthermore, the cause of the toxaemic symptoms [3,4,5,32,53,63], whilst the second has thought that infaredon is the result rather than the cause of the toxaemic process [1,6,14,16,18,20,25,26,27,30,34,35,36,37,40,43,44,45,47,49,51,52,55,56,57,59,60,61,64,65] and that, although die incidence of placental in farction is significantly increased in toxaemia, the presence of infarcts is not an invariable feature. By contrast, a third group of workers have been unable to confirm that the incidence of placental infarction in cases of pre-eclamptic toxaemia is notably different from that found in uncomplicated pregnancies [15,17,28,39,41,46,…”

Recurrent Pregnancy Toxaemia.*

“…There are cases in which abortion or premature birth occurs one or more times in the reproductive cycle of toxxmic cases, but when, hecause of the interpolation of normal pregnancies, it is impossible to exclude so certainly the operation of other irrelevent factors. Pregnaiicy ( I ) normal, ( 2 ) We are t h u s led to conclude that women with a n eclamptic history commonly have resident within their body some morbid influence, \\liich is not inconsistent with good health between their pregnancies, but which is inconsistent with the normal continuance of pregnancy to term. T h e potency of this damaging-factor in eclamptic cases is shewn by the fact that of 1 5 1 births prior to those for mhich the 47 p' d t' rents were admitted to hospital 3j ended in atmrtion, premature o r still-birth, that is 2 3 .…”

“…1393 ('26). Pregnancy (I) term, toxrrmia, (2) accidental hcemorihuge, premature, n o toxaniia. Case 5.…”

“…13rz ('26). Pregnaiicy ( I ) normal, ( 2 ) We are t h u s led to conclude that women with a n eclamptic history commonly have resident within their body some morbid influence, \\liich is not inconsistent with good health between their pregnancies, but which is inconsistent with the normal continuance of pregnancy to term. J l a n y of the damaged pregnancies in such women end in abortion, some end in premature birth or still-birth, but only in comparatively few such pregnanries does this constant and imminent x factor culminate in a toxzmic attack.…”

“…1106 ('23) Pregnancy (I) eclampsia,(2) "albuminuria." (I) premature still birth,(2) abortion, (3) abortion, Case 9. 1422('24).…”