Rhesus haemolytic disease

1. Front Matter

   Pages v-xv

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2. Discovery of the Rh blood group system and related matters

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Icterus Gravis (Erythroblastosis) Neonatorum

      • Ruth Renter Darrow

      Pages 3-37

   3. Intra-Group Agglutination—Levine and Stetson

      • Philip Levine, Rufus E. Stetson

      Pages 39-40

   4. An Agglutinable Factor in Human Blood Recognized by Immune Sera for Rhesus Blood

      • Karl Landsteiner, Alexander S. Wiener

      Pages 41-42

   5. Hemolytic Reactions Following Transfusions of Blood of the Homologous Group, with Three Cases in which the same Agglutinogen was Responsible

      • Alexander S. Wiener, H. Raymond Peters

      Pages 43-60

   6. The Role of ISO-Immunization in the Pathogenesis of Erythroblastosis Fetalis

      • Philip Levine, Lyman Burnham, E. M. Katzin, Peter Vogel

      Pages 61-73

   7. Serological Factors as Possible Causes in Spontaneous Abortions

      • Philip Levine

      Pages 75-77

   8. Blood Groups in Man

      • Cyril A. Clarke

      Pages 78-79

   9. A New Test (Blocking Test) for Rh Sensitization

      • Alexander S. Wiener

      Pages 81-85

   10. An ‘Incomplete’ Antibody in Human Serum

       • R. R. Race

       Pages 86-87

   11. Detection of Weak and “Incomplete” Rh Agglutinins: A New Test

       • R. R. A. Coombs, A. E. Mourant, R. R. Race

       Pages 88-88

   12. Use of Trypsin in the Detection of Incomplete Anti-Rh Antibodies

       • J. A. Morton, M. M. Pickles

       Pages 89-90

   13. Anti-Rh Serum Nomenclature

       • Cyril A. Clarke

       Pages 91-92

   14. Anti-Rh Serum Nomenclature

       • A. S. Wiener

       Pages 93-93

   15. Heredity of the Rh Blood Types

       • Alexander S. Wiener

       Pages 94-98

   16. Some Notes on Fisher’s Contributions to Human Blood Groups

       • R. R. Race

       Pages 99-102

3. Methods of treating the established disease

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 103-103

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   2. Erythroblastosis Fœtalis or Hæmolytic Disease of the Newborn

      • Louis K. Diamond

      Pages 105-109

   3. Controlled Trials of the Treatment of Hæmolytic Disease of the Newborn

      • P. L. Mollison, W. Walker

      Pages 111-116

Jaundice ofnewbom infants was described by several authors in the 17th century. The condition, however, was usually thought of as being similar to adult jaundice and due ro occlusion of the bile ducts by 'glutinous humours'. On the other hand, some writers reported on the fact that more than one consecutive baby was often affected, and there is a classic example of the disease in twins written by Louyse Bourgeois, the midwife of Marie de Medici, in 1609. It was not until early in the 20th century that it was realised that the common link between these familial cases was anaemia, and later still that this was of the haemolytic type. The breakthrough, in terms of an idea, came in 1938, when Darrow postulated that the baby's red cells were destroyed by an immune reaction on the part of the mother, the result of immunisation by paternal factors in the fetus. Shortly afterwards Wiener discovered an entirely new blood group system, 'Rh', and it was found that it was in­ compatibility within this system that was responsible for the vast majority of cases of haemolytic disease of the newborn.

• antibody
• antigen
• bile
• blood
• circulation
• fetus
• hand
• immunization
• immunoglobulin
• management
• newborn
• nomenclature
• pathogenesis
• treatment
• women

• Department of Genetics, University of Liverpool, UK

  Cyril A. Clarke

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