Reese, Koiieff, and Wainman 



475 



varying postoperative times can be correlated with the changes in individual 

 cells in preparations representing a single postoperative period. 



It has been pointed out by Guyer and Glaus/ by Zeckwcr and co-workers," 

 and others that more vacuoles are present in thyroidectomy than in castration 

 basophils. In our preparations the basophils seen soon after thyroidectomy 

 show an enlargement of fine alveolar subdivisions which may normally be 

 present in the cytoplasm. These multiple vacuoles in the process of develop- 

 ment occupy a considerable part of the circumference of the cell. The altered 

 areas of cytoplasm have a smooth hyaline appearance, their content is baso- 

 philic. They are at first quite small (pi. i, figs, i and 2), vary in shape, being 

 often polygonal, and are separated from one another by areas of cytoplasm, 

 normal in appearance. The partitions at first may be of considerable thickness, 

 but ultimately become mere strands between the enlarging vacuoles (pi. 1, 

 figs. 4 and 5). Examination of a series of cells shows not only that these vactioles 

 are formed first on the periphery of the cell, but that progressive vacuolation 

 of the cytoplasm approaches more and more closely the nucleus as time goes 

 on (pi. 1, figs. 4, 5, and 6). 



Accompanying this reduction in the amount of normal cytoplasm there is 

 a redistribution of mitochondria, and certain changes in the position of the 

 Golgi apparatus. Early in the process, certainly as soon as changes in the 

 peripheral cytoplasm are discernible, the majority of the mitochondria become 

 concentrated in the region surrounding the nucleus. They are to be found 

 either in the zone of perinuclear cytoplasm or they may be strung out along 

 the intervacuolar partitions where they may give the appearance of strings 

 of beads. As in castration basophils they are never found in the vacuole itself. 

 The Golgi apparatus assumes a position early in this process quite at variance 

 with its usual situation in the cytoplasm. It is found in the nonvacuolated 

 portion of the cytoplasm, hence near the nucleus (pi. 1, figs. 7 and 8). 



In more advanced stages of the thyroidectomy basophil evolution, the vacu- 

 oles tend gradually to become fewer and larger. It is not an unwarranted 

 assumption that this reduction in number and increase in size is due to coales- 

 cence. This coalescence is usually noted first where the vacuoles are first 

 formed, namely at the periphery of the cell. When coalescence of the vacuoles 

 becomes moderately advanced, the zone of cytoplasm nucleus and Golgi ap- 

 paratus remains connected to the periphery of the cell by strands of cytoplasm. 

 Such partitions become progressively fewer and fewer in more advanced stages 

 of the process. 



Often the entire cytoplasm of a thyroidectomy basophil is riddled by vacu- 

 oles, except for a small portion containing the nucleus, Golgi apparatus, and 

 mitochondria. This segment of cytoplasm extends from the region of the 

 nucleus to the nearest adjacent portion of the cell membrane. Since the nu- 

 cleus is typically eccentric this cytoplasmic mass may be quite small, and as 

 the vacuoles coalesce, the granular material and the cell organelles come to 



