ABEL,JOHN,JACOB REINTERPRETED - PROPHET OR FRAUD

Commentators often portray John Jacob Abel (1851-1938) as the father o f American pharmacology and the inventor of the artificial kidney mach ine. In this paper, I outline his career and examine the background to his experiments in 'vividiffusion' (dialysis in vivo) as a prelude to re-examining the published details of his experiments. I then compare the text of his medical publications on the subject with contemporary reports that appeared in the lay press and with the data contained in his laboratory note-books. I cite evidence that Abel's private aims d iffered markedly from his public claims, examine why he abandoned dial ysis in favour of 'plasmaphaeresis' for the treatment of uraemia, and mention some unfortunate consequences of that change. Finally, I exami ne the background to Abel's explanation that the unavailability of hir udin caused him to discontinue dialysis experiments, and raise the pos sibility that this provided him with a convenient method of escape fro m a field that threatened his reputation. I conclude that Aber's exper iments with dialysis in vivo were not designed to control renal failur e, but rather to isolate new hormones from the blood.