Abstract
The striking improvement that has been shown to follow removal of the spleen in such diseases as hemolytic jaundice and Banti's disease has naturally led to an extension of this clinical procedure to allied conditions. In 1913 three investigators, Eppinger,<sup>1</sup>Decastello<sup>2</sup>and Klemperer,<sup>3</sup>working independently, applied splenectomy to the relatively common and grave disease, pernicious anemia. It is interesting that Eppinger was led to adopt this procedure by observing after splenectomy a diminished output of urobilin and other evidences of decreased hemolysis. Decastello, on the other hand, had noted the improvement that followed splenectomy in the related conditions, hemolytic jaundice and Banti's disease; whereas Klemperer was influenced by the clinical observation that splenectomy for such conditions as rupture of the spleen was in some instances eventually followed by polycythemia. Such marked improvement was noted in these earlier cases that the procedure was quickly and widely repeated, chiefly
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