120 NEUTRON EFFECTS ON ANIMALS 



animals. Rabbits given total irradiation small enough to permit complete 

 lecovery did not show appreciable alopecia: those given large amounts and 

 surviving temporarily, however, exhibited alopecia and a generally scaly 

 condition of the skin within a week or two after cessation of irradiation. 

 Local loss of hair resulting from neutron irradiation over a Umited body area 

 has been demonstiated by Aebersold (8). 



Animals given large amounts of irradiation lost considerable weight, 

 showed diminished appetite and reduced activity and, when approaching 

 death, failed to pass feces. 



A consistent autopsy finding was diminished testicle size; this has also 

 been observed with neutron-irradiated rats (9). Another common finding 

 was the pronounced yellow color of the bone marrow, observed particularly 

 in animals given 300 n at 10 n/day. Aplastic bone marrow has been found 

 by LaA\Tence and Tennant (10) in neutron-irradiated mice and by Ely, 

 Ross and Gay (9) in neutron-irradiated rats. 



While the determination of the ultimate causes of death resulting from 

 neutron irradiation was outside the scope of the present study it is signifi- 

 cant that tissue destruction and infection have been pi oposed by others as 

 probable factors (10). 



The Electrophoretic Pattern of Normal Rahbit Plasma. Tracings of 

 scanning diagrams obtained for representative normal plasmas are shown 

 in Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b for rabbits Xos. 29 and 30, respectively. A com- 

 ponent indicated by a peak between those of |3-globulin and fibrinogen was 

 of uncertain identity and was therefore labeled the v-component ; it may be 

 a (S-globulin.* The identity of the fibrinogen peak was established by 

 virtue of its absence in corresponding electrophoresis diagrams of sera. 

 The variation in the percentages of the different constituents present in the 

 plasmas of 5 normal rabbits is shown in Table III. 



Change in Plasma Electrophoretic Pattern due to Irradiation 



55 n/day doses. Thiee rabbits, given 220 n over a period of 4 days, 

 yielded plasmas 2-5 days after termination of irradiation, the electro- 

 phoretic patterns of which were superficially quite normal in appearance: 

 on closer analysis, however, the patterns revealed a diminished average 

 7-globulin content. This is shown by a comparison of the data for rabbits 

 Nos. 4, 3, and 5, in Table IV, and data for normal rabbits in Table III. 

 The results, also shown in Table IV, for rabbits Nos. 8 and 9 given 275 n 

 over a 5-day period, not only confirmed the above finding but suggested, 



* This component has been reported to be one of the usual constituents of rabbit 

 plasma, and has been referred to as "X-component" (11). Although not mentioned 

 by others it is apparent in their published electrophoresis diagrams for rabbit serum 

 and plasma (e.g., 12, 13). 



