Splanchnic removal of bacteria from the circulating blood of irradiated rabbits.

Abstract

THE EFFECT of roentgen irradiation on skin infections and on the spread of infection from local lesions has been studied extensively, and the studies have yielded variable results. This variableness is well emphasized in the excellent review article edited by Warren, 1 especially the portion by Dunlap, 2 on the effects of irradiation on normal tissues. It seems evident that there has been no method for obtaining completely satisfactory objective data, perhaps because of the many variables encountered. The variation in response from one animal to another, the changes of the response with the passage of time relative to the irradiation and the differences in the response with variation in roentgen dosage make the problem difficult. Previous evidence 3 suggests that local infections may be altered in their invasiveness by local irradiation and that the ability of the animal to cope with any resultant bacteremia may be altered by either