Evidence supporting the use of: Animal Tissue
For the health condition: Pernicious Anemia

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Synopsis

Source of validity: Scientific
Rating (out of 5): 5

Animal Tissue in the Treatment of Pernicious Anemia: Scientific Basis

The use of animal tissue, specifically liver, in the treatment of pernicious anemia is strongly supported by scientific evidence. Pernicious anemia is caused by a deficiency in vitamin B12 (cobalamin), often due to impaired absorption resulting from a lack of intrinsic factor. In the 1920s, George Whipple, George Minot, and William Murphy demonstrated that feeding large amounts of raw liver to patients with pernicious anemia resulted in dramatic clinical improvement. This led to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 for their discovery.

Subsequent research identified vitamin B12 as the crucial factor in liver responsible for this effect. Today, purified vitamin B12 is used therapeutically, but the historical use of animal tissue was directly responsible for the first effective treatment of the condition. The scientific understanding of B12 deficiency and its replacement with animal-derived sources (initially liver tissue, later purified vitamin) revolutionized the management of pernicious anemia and transformed what was previously a fatal disease into a treatable condition.

Therefore, the use of animal tissue in the treatment of pernicious anemia is firmly grounded in scientific discovery and represents a landmark in medical history.

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