12/27/69 Clipping from Dallas News: [See page 62 THE
SLEEPING PROPHET by Jess Stearn]
PINPRICK OF BLOOD TELLS ALL
NEW YORK (WMNS) - A single pinprick of blood can now yield as
much medical information as an entire syringeful.
At the moment, new "microchemical techniques" are used only
for babies, whose blood supply is limited and precious, and
only in certain pediatric centers. But Dr. Knud Engel of
Babies Hospital, who helped develop the microchemical
technique in Denmark, says the technique may become routine
for babies and may spread to adults within five years.
The conventional method of obtaining a blood sample involves
tapping a vein in the elbow crease for a syringeful.
Arteries must be punctured for special tests. Using the
microchemcial technique, a foot or a hand is warmed, which
increases the arterial blood flow. When sophisticated,
miniaturized electronic equipment is used to analyze a
pinprick of this blood, the results are as valid as for a
large quantity of arterial blood, Dr. Engel says.