BLOOD TIES: Firor’s experimental cross-circulation procedure involved stitching the carotid artery of each dog in a pair to the other’s jugular vein, as illustrated by artist William P. Didusch. AM J PHYSIOL, 96(1): 146-52, 1931
In 1929 and 1930, Johns Hopkins Medical School surgeon Warfield Firor carried out a series of experiments to determine how long blood could flow between animals with joined circulatory systems. Without using any anti-coagulants, Firor attempted to establish cross circulation in over 40 pairs of dogs by suturing the carotid artery of each dog in a pair to the external jugular vein of the other. After the operation, the pairs of dogs were bound together with adhesive plaster and kept unanesthetized so they could exercise, feed, and sleep at will. Although similar cross-circulation experiments had previously managed to maintain blood flow between animals for a few hours, Firor’s method allowed for the free and uninterrupted exchange of blood for an unprecedented 6 days. Such advances ...
