4 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



bodies " of Millier. The " Elementarkornchen " of Kolliker, and Stohr, 

 found in the blood of sucklings and vegetarians, seem to have been 

 fat-droplets and altogether different from the bodies under discussion. 

 Schiefi'erdecker and Kossel speak of "granules," which they regarded 

 as of accidental occurrence. Hayem believed the " Elementarkornchen " 

 of Kolliker to be fat, but, in addition, described bodies which he called 

 "granulations de nature indéterminée" (Du Sang et ses alterations 

 anatomiques, Paris, 1889, p. 113). These were from two to four 

 microns in diameter and resembled fat, but did not stain with osmic 

 acid. They were sparingly present in normal blood, but were abundant 

 in certain pathological conditions, such as leukaemia. 



Three months before the appearance of Miiller's paper, I find also 

 that a Polish writer, Wemicki, with whose work Millier appears not to 

 have been acquainted, in a communication, entitled " On the Clinical 

 Histology of the Blood" (Przeglad lekarski, No. 10, 11, 12, 1896), 

 published some observations on certain, small, motile bodies, which were 

 constantly present in fresh blood and increased in numbers the longer 

 the preparation was kept. These he regarded as free granulations 

 derived from the neutrophilic leucocytes or myelocytes in the course of 

 their disintegration. They did not appear to have any pathological or 

 clinical significance. In his opinion the larger granules, viz., those 

 from one to two microns in diameter, were (1) Eosinophilic granula- 

 tions (most frequently); (2) Gamma-granulations; (3) Laveran's 

 "■ corps sphériques," i.e., young, non-pigmented, malarial parasities, or 

 (4) very small and pale microcytes and poikylocyies. Undoubtedly, 

 these are the same bodies described shortly after by Millier under the 

 name of " Blutstaubchen." 



Since this time the most important studies have been those of 

 Stokes and Wegef arth, presented in their paper, entitled " The Presence 

 in the Blood of Free Granules derived from the Leucocytes, and their 

 possible Relations to Immunity " (Johns Hopkins Hosp., Bull., Dec., 

 1897, p. 246). 



Stokes and Wegefarth confirm Miiller's observations, from a study 

 of the blood in five hundred individuals, one hundred of them being 

 in good health. In the blood of the horse, rabbit, cat, rat, and guinea- 

 pig, they observed similar bodies, with the difference that they varied 

 in size in direct relation to the size of the granulations within the 

 leucocytes. The observers further noted that, when fresh preparations 

 of blood were kept for an hour at a temperature of 35 C, the granules 

 within the leucocytes were in active motion, recalling the swarming of 

 bees about a hive, and the number of free granules was perceptibly 

 increased. In size the free granules approximated closely to that of the 

 eosinophile and neutrophile granulations within the leucocytes, but they 



