106 



NEUTRON EFFECTS ON ANIMALS 



determine the fibrinogen content with less error than from the plasma 

 diagrams alone. The uncertainty involved, however, introduced the 

 possibility of error in the concentrations of both the gamma globulin and 

 the fibrinogen. To eliminate these compensating errors, the fibrinogen and 

 gamma globulin concentrations were plotted as the sum in the graphical 

 presentation of the data. Because of the poor resolution of the alpha and 

 beta globulin boundaries, the concentrations of alpha glolxilin and beta 

 globulin were also plotted as the sum. 



D 21 



O 

 X 



C 



< 



DAYS 

 Fig. 3. Changes in the composition of chicken plasma following neutron irradia- 

 tion. Ordinates: concentrations expressed in refractive increments X 10^. Ab- 

 scissae: days after irradiation. Chicken 22: D; chicken 2-4: O; chicken 27: A. 

 Upper graphs : total protein concentration. Lower graphs : concentration of fibrino- 

 gen plus gamma globulin. 



Irradiated Chickens. Representative electrophoresis diagrams for chick- 

 ens 24 and 22, both irradiated at the age of 82 days, are shown respectively 

 in A and B, and in C and D, of Fig. 2. The corresponding concentration 

 changes are listed in Table I and presented graphically in Figs. 3 and 4. 



From the variations in the diagrams of Fig. 2, and from the graphical 

 presentation of the corresponding changes in total protein concentration at 

 the top of Fig. 3, it can be seen that for chickens 22 and 24 there was a 

 drop in total protein concentration during the four days immediately fol- 

 lowing irradiation. This drop was overcompensated during the next six 

 days by an abrupt rise in protein concentration, greater for chicken 24, of 



