Filtered Atlantic seawater (Quinton marine plasma)

mineral

provenance:mineral

first introduced:1897

regulatory status:supplement

context:René Quinton's animal experiments in Paris, beginning with seawater collected from specific offshore Atlantic zones judged to be pure and biologically active.

MECHANISM CLAIMED

Seawater filtered to remove microorganisms and adjusted to isotonic concentration by dilution with distilled water (approximately 9 g/L total dissolved salts) replicates the original 'marine milieu' in which animal cells evolved. This medium can therefore safely replace extracellular fluid or blood plasma and restore cellular function.

INTERVENTIONS USING IT

Marine plasma (Sérum de Quinton)

NOTES

Atlantic seawater, collected from depth at specific offshore locations selected by Quinton for perceived biological purity, then subjected to cold micro-filtration to remove microorganisms without boiling or chemical treatment, and diluted with distilled water to approximately 9 g/L dissolved solids to reach isotonic concentration. Quinton’s selection criteria specified plankton-rich deep water from the Atlantic, based on his argument that living marine organisms indicated biological integrity; the exact collection zones were specified in his preparation protocols. The resulting preparation was referred to variously as plasma de Quinton, sérum de Quinton, or marine plasma.

Modern comparison with pharmaceutical isotonic saline (0.9% NaCl in water) shows that the Quinton preparation contains a broader range of ions (magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfate, trace elements) than pure saline, but the concentrations of several ions do not match human blood plasma. Modern IV fluids such as Ringer’s lactate and Plasma-Lyte are formulated to more closely approximate plasma ion composition than either seawater or simple saline.