Blood, 1955, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 334-340.
© 1955 American Society of Hematology, Inc.
The Influence of Anoxia of Lactating Rats and Mice
on Blood of Their Normal Offspring
WILSON C. GRANT 1
1 Department of Physiology, College of Physicians arid Surgeons, Columbia
University, New York and Lederle Laboratories Division, American Cyanamid Company,
Pearl River, New York.
1) Lactating rats and mice 3 to 4 days post partum were discontinuously exposed daily to an ambient pressure of 400 to 300 mm. Hg for 6 hours while their
litters remained at sea level pressure. At the same time, control rats and mice
were separated from their litters but were kept at sea level pressure.
2) When baby rats were sampled from 10 to 25 days of age, the hematocrits,
erythrocyte counts and O2 capacity values of those nursed by anoxic mothers
were greater than those nursed by the normal mothers. The total hemoglobin
content of baby mice nursed by anoxic mothers generally exceeded those obtained from mice nursed by normal mothers.
3) The evidence indicates that a substance is present in the milk of anoxic
rats and mice which produces an increased hemoglobin content of the nursing
young.
Submitted on July 8, 1954
Accepted on July 15, 1954
