NORMOBLASTS 



237 



NUCLEAR INCLUSIONS 



Pineal gland — Length, 1 cm.; breadth, 

 5 mm.; thickness, 5 mm.; weight, 

 0.2 gm. 

 Pituitary body — Length, 8 mm.; 

 breadth, 1.2 cm.; weight, 0.3-0.6 gm. 

 Prostate — Weight, 22 gms.; length 3.1- 

 3.8 cm.; breadth, 3.8—4.5 cm.; thick- 

 ness, 2.5 cm. 

 Salivary glands — Parotid, weight, 25- 

 30 gms.; sublingual, weight, 2-3 gm.; 

 submaxillary, weight, 8-9 gms. 

 Seminal vesicles — Length, 5 cm. 

 Spinal cord — Length, 45 cm.; weight, 

 27-30 gms. ; transverse diameter aver- 

 ages 1.2 cm.; antero-posterior diam- 

 eter averages 9 mm. 

 Spleen — Weight, 155-195 gms.; length, 

 10-12.5 cm.; breadth, 7.7 cm.; thick- 

 ness, 2.5-3.7 cm. 

 Stomach — Capacity, 1-2 liters.; thick- 

 ness of wall, 6 mm.; weight, 125-175 

 gms. 

 Testes — Weight, 20-25 gms. each; 

 length, 3.8 cm.; breadth, 2.5 cm.; 

 thickness, 2 cm. 

 Thoracic duct — Length, 37-5-45 cm. 

 Thymus gland— Weight at birth, 13.7 

 gms. and increases to 26.2 gms. at end 

 of second year when it gradually de- 

 creases until gland disappears ; dimen- 

 sions at birth, length, 6 cm. ; breadth, 

 3.7 cm. ; thickness, 6 mm. 

 Thyroid — Transverse diameter, 6-7 cm. ; 



height, 3 cm.; weight, 30-40 gm. 

 Ureters — Length, 28-30 cm., slightly 

 longer on left side and longer in male, 

 diameter of lumen varies, averages 

 2.5 mm. 

 Urethra— IVIale, length, 16-20.6 cm.; 

 prostatic, 2.5-3.1 cm., membranous, 

 1.5-2.5 cm., and the anterior, 12-15 

 cm. ; female, length, 3.8 cm. ; diameter 

 of lumen averages 7-10 mm. 

 Uterus — (Virginal) length, 7 cm.; 

 breadth, 4 cm. ; thickness, 2.5 cm. ; 

 weight, 40-50 gm. ; the dimensions of 

 a multiparous uterus are each in- 

 creased 1 cm. or more and the weight 

 is increased 20 gms. ; length of cavity 

 in virgin, 5 cm., in multiparae, 5.7 cm. 

 Vagina — Length, 7.6-8.9 cm.; posterior 

 wall is slightly longer than the 

 anterior. 

 Normoblasts (orthochromatic erythro- 

 blasts). Stage in formation of erythro- 

 cyte between erythroblast and reticulo- 

 cyte ; nucleus spherical or oval, picnotic, 

 often excentrically placed. Cytoplasm 

 contains much hemoglobin, not nor- 

 mally present in circulation. See 

 Erythrocytes, Developmental series. 

 Nucleal Reaction is a microchemical test 

 for Thymonucleic Acid which see, also 

 Feulgen Reaction. 

 Nuclear Inclusions are characteristic of 

 some virus diseases but in many such 



diseases they are not found. Only 

 when they are present in large numbers 

 as in yellow fever is it feasible to in- 

 vestigate them in fresh tissues. Stain- 

 ing reactions, solubility tests and other 

 properties of fresh inclusions are de- 

 scribed by Cowdry, E. V. and Kitchen, 

 S. F., Am. J. Hygiene, 1930, 11, 227-299. 

 Methods for their identification in fixed 

 tissues are summarized by Cowdry, 

 E. v.. Am. J. Clin. Path.. 1940, 10, 133- 

 148. For general purposes fixation in 

 Zenker's fluid, parafhn imbedding and 

 coloration with Hematoxylin and Eosin 

 is the most satisfactory. Coloration 

 with Phloxine or Eosin Methylene blue 

 gives more brilliant colors but they fade 

 more rapidly. The nuclear inclusions 

 are typically acidophilic and therefore 

 take eosin and phloxine energetically. 

 When it is desired to reverse the colors 

 use Safranin-Light Green which gives 

 green inclusions and red chromatin. 

 For microchemical methods see Cowdry, 

 E. v.. Science, 1928, 68, 40-41, see also 

 Specific Gravity determinations. Paper 

 by Lucas, A. M., Am. J. Path., 1940, 

 16, 739-760. 



When the following features are noted 

 in a section it is likely that a virus has 

 been at work : 



1. A considerable number of inclu- 

 sion-laden nuclei which can be arranged 

 in series representing stages in develop- 

 ment. This indicates an active process 

 in which the nuclei exhibiting the most 

 advanced alterations were affected first 

 and the others in succession. 



2. A change in which the accumula- 

 tion of aciaophilic material, forming 

 the inclusion, is accompanied by mar- 

 gination of basophilic chromatin on the 

 nuclear membrane, a disappearance of 

 nucleoli and ultimate death and disin- 

 tegration of the cells. This suggests 

 that the inclusion formation is not 

 merely an intranuclear heaping up of 

 material effected without injury. 



3. A cellular reaction characterized 

 by hyperplasia, hypertrophy or necrosis. 



Nuclear inclusions are of two general 

 sorts — A and B (Cowdry, E. V.,Arch. 

 Path., 1934, 18, 527-542). Type A are 

 the most definite and exhibit the proper- 

 ties noted above under 2. When the 

 basophilic chromatin does not marginate 

 on the nuclear membrane and the 

 nuclear structure does not disintegrate 

 — we have to proceed warily. Such 

 inclusions (type B) are droplet-like 

 masses of acidophilic material sur- 

 rounded by clear halos. They have 

 been reported in Borna disease, in polio- 

 myelitis and in several other conditions. 

 When observed in routine preparations 

 they are seldom conspicuous structures. 



