HUMAN SKIN GRAFTS ON CHICK EMBRYOS

In 1938 Goodpasture¹ and his associates of Vanderbilt University developed a new technic in immunologic and virus research. They found that intact human skin can be successfully grafted on the chorioallantois of the chick embryo. The graft becomes adherent to the membrane and within two to four days becomes vascularized with capillaries carrying chick erythrocytes. The graft is apparently adequately nourished till shortly before hatching, thus giving eight to ten days for its technical use. Attempts to prolong the life of the graft by transfer to a second embryo were almost invariably unsuccessful. Goodpasture inoculated several of his grafts with the virus of herpes simplex, vaccinia and smallpox. The resulting lesions and cellular changes were typical of these infections.

Improvements in this technic are now reported by Blank 2 and his associates, of the departments of dermatology and pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania. Human skin used in most of their