L'eau de mer, milieu organique (2nd ed., 1912)
book · 1912
LINK
SUMMARY
Quinton's single published monograph, first issued in 1904 and reissued in an expanded second edition (1912) by Masson, Paris. The title page identifies the author as 'Assistant du Laboratoire de Physiologie pathologique des Hautes-Études au Collège de France.' The book presents the 'Law of Marine Constancy,' arguing that seawater adjusted to isotonic concentration constitutes the original physiological medium for animal cells and can safely substitute for blood plasma or extracellular fluid. The 1904 first edition is cited in later patents (EP 3490526-B1 gives 'Quinton, L'Eau de Mer, Milieu Organique, 1904, pages 1–519'). The second edition is the most frequently cited version. Wikipedia characterizes the book's scientific views as 'not valid' by modern standards. The Archive.org scan (identifier leaudemermilieuo00quin, MBLWHOI Library) carries NIC (Not In Copyright) status; rights confirmed at https://archive.org/metadata/leaudemermilieuo00quin.
NOTES
Quinton’s central theoretical text, which appeared first in 1904 and in an expanded second edition in 1912 from Masson, Paris. The book argues through comparative physiology and chemical analysis that the internal fluid environment of higher animals preserves the mineral composition of primordial seawater, and that isotonic seawater, properly filtered and sterilized, therefore constitutes an ideal physiological medium for human cells. The argument was the theoretical foundation for Quinton’s subsequent clinical work and for the marine dispensaries he established from 1906 onward.