Effect of Pregnancy-Urine Hormone and Vitamin B-6 on the Blood and Bone-Marrow Pictures in Primary Erythroblastic Anemia (Cooley)

Abstract

SINCE OUR ORIGINAL paper concerning the hypothetical basis for the effect of various hormonal substances (1) on body tisues, several observations on the effect of pregnancy-urine gonadotropin (prolan B) on certain mesenchymal structures have been made (2). It was felt that a study of the bonemarrow picture and its resulting peripheral blood changes following the use of these hormones would afford additional information. To this end several cases of primary erythroblastic anemia have been selected for observation. The work of Papanicolaou and Falk (3) demonstrates the stimulating effect of androgen and pregnancy- urine gonadotropin on the general musculature in guinea pigs. Antopol and Schotland (4) have described the beneficial influence of vitamin B-6 therapy on humans suffering from chronic muscular dystrophy. It was decided to study the parallel effects of vitamin B-6 and prolan B on the hematopoietic system in primary erythroblastic anemias. There is still confusion regarding the pathological basis of Cooley’s anemia. Some evidence points to the presence of a hemolytic process with compensatory marrow hyperplasia (5). The existence of an abnormal hyperplastic marrow process resulting in the appearance of immature cells in the peripheral blood has been suggested. Whipple and Bradford (6), among this latter group, express the belief that the bone marrow process may be the result of vitamin or endocrine disturbance.