CONGENITAL hemorrhagic disease due to a lack of fibrinogen has been observed on a number of occasions. In the preceding paper, Prichard 1 has reviewed the published cases, and in this communication we report an additional case.
METHODS
Most of the test methods employed in this paper have been described in detail.2 Prothrombin was assayed by three methods: (1) the standard two-stage method3; (2) a new, specific one-stage method,4 and (3) the BaSO4-eluate method,4 a new test in which prothrombin and proconvertin are quantitatively removed from plasma and the prothrombin titered after activation in the presence of accelerin, proconvertin, thromboplastin (Soluplastin, Schieffelin & Company, courtesy Dr. E. W. Blanchard), and calcium. The proconvertin index is obtained during the same procedure by determining the percentage of thrombin formed during the first minute of activation before addition of proconvertin. Proconvertin was also determined by the method