The Kidney and Erythropoiesis

THE relation of the kidney to the production of erythropoietin and control of erythropoiesis has engaged the attention of many workers over the past several years, but unfortunately has not as yet been completely resolved. Jacobson et al.1 observed in rats, and Naets2 in dogs, that nephrectomy severely suppressed or completely obliterated erythropoiesis and that erythropoietin production by conventional technics could not be achieved in the nephrectomized animal. This led to the conclusion that the kidney was the dominant if not the sole source of erythropoietin production. The studies of Rosse and Waldmann3 on the effect of hypoxia in parabiotic . . .