Treatment of Influenzal Pneumonia by Citrated Transfusions

To the Editor: —InThe Journal, October 19, we read with great interest the article on the "Treatment of Influenza-Pneumonia by the Use of Convalescent Human Serum" by McGuire and Redden of the United States Navy Medical Corps. We have done two citrated transfusions, using the whole blood, the first one, October 15. The effect clinically corresponded to that reported in the article mentioned, but the effect of the transfusion on the white blood cells was what especially attracted our attention, as our average count in fifteen cases had been 9,200, the lowest 4,900 and the highest 16,300, being in marked contrast to usual pneumococcic or streptococcic pneumonia. One case was that of a woman, aged 23, as near as determined in her third day of pneumonia, and also between six and seven months pregnant. Her temperature on the two previous days had ranged from 102 to 104, and at