EFFECTS ON THE BLOOD 243 



Blood Counts Observed during a Fast of Fourteen Days (Charteris '07) 



1 Signifies dates preceding the fast. 2 Subsequent refeeding. 



The blood changes appear relatively slight, aside from a moderate leukocytosis 

 with gradual increase in eosinophiles. 



Gordon observed the blood of Martin ('07), a medical student, who fasted 

 9 days on 24 ounces of water daily. There was no significant variation in the 

 erythrocytes or total leukocytes, excepting a rise in the latter of 10,000 on the 

 2nd and 9th days. The differential count was somewhat irregular. 



Benedict ('07, '08), in short fasts of 2-7 days, found a progressive fall in 

 the erythrocyte count (with corresponding decrease in hemoglobin); and a 

 relative leukocytosis, with a high per cent of polymorphonuclears, but a pro- 

 gressive fall in the total leukocyte count in the longer fasting period. 



Penny ('09) records a few observations on the blood of a physician (self- 

 experiment) fasting on water only for 30 days, as follows: 



Day of fast 



Red cells 



White 

 cells 



Polynu- 



clears, 



per cent 



Large 

 mononu- 

 clears, 

 per cent 



Lympho- 

 cytes, 

 per cent 



Eosino- 

 philes, 

 per cent 



1 2th 

 20th 

 30th 



6,600,000 

 7 , 000 , 000 

 6 , 000 , 000 



10,000 



1 1 , 000 



8,800 



76 

 76 



70 



12 



18 

 20 



12.0 

 6.0 



7-5 



i-5 



Lustig ('n) concluded that during human fasting there is but little change in 

 the red cell count, with a decrease in the number of leukocytes. Turk ('12) 



