The mechanisms of spontaneous hemostasis and the effects of anticoagulants in the cheek pouch of the golden hamster (mesocricetus auratus).

Abstract

The agglutination o£ blood platelets is now recognized as one of the important factors in spontaneous hemostasis. Wharton (1850) was the first to describe the agglutination of thrombocytes at points of injury and the adherence of thrombocytes to the cut edges of severed vessels in the web of the frog. Schultze (1865) first saw and clearly described agglutination of platelets in mammals. However, it was not until the monumental work of Bizzozero (1882) that the platelet was properly classified and recognized as an important factor in hemostasis. Hayem (1882) described platelet agglutination at the point of a vascular injury, where the platelet mass served as a basis for red clot formation. The basic aspects of the present day concept of coagulation were formulated by Morawitz (1905). Quick (1949) modified the original coagulation formula to include the platelet, which he considers essential in the clotting process. The mechanisms of hemostasis at the level of the small blood vessels have not been adequately demonstrated. The comparative importance of platelet agglutination, vasoconstriction, fibrin formation and other hemostatic mechanisms require evaluation under controlled experimental conditions. Furthermore distinctions have rarely been made between arterioles, capillaries, and venules. The author has undertaken comparative studies of the control of hemorrhage in different kinds of small blood vessels in the cheek pouch of the hamster, using the micromanipulative and cinephotomicrographic equipment and techniques developed in the Department of Biology, Boston University, for research on the peripheral vascular system. [TRUNCATED]