Abnormal Development of Toad Ova II 



carried farther than Heinecke an experimental study of the action 

 of the Roentgen rays on the blood-forming organs. Warthin's 

 paper contains an extensive list of references to the literature 

 relating to this subject, of which use has been made in preparing the 

 present paper. Warthin employed white rats, rabbits, Belgian 

 hares, and guinea pigs in his experiments and subjected them to 

 brief and to prolonged exposures. Exposures of five hours or 

 more caused death, usually in from two to five days. In all animals 

 exposed destructive changes were found in the lymphoid elements 

 of the splenic pulp and follicles, marked by a degeneration of 

 phagocytes, giant cells, and the epitheloid cells of the follicles. 

 In all animals the effects lasted for some time and were not im- 

 mediately followed by regeneration. A haemolytic action was 

 indicated by the great increase of blood pigment in the tissues. 

 Warthin suggests, however, that this may have been due in part 

 to disturbances of splenic function. A fatty degeneration was 

 noted in the lymphoid tissues. The disintegration of lymphocytes 

 was seen within 14 minutes after exposure and the cells continued 

 to disintegrate for several days. The greater part of the nuclear 

 debris was quickly removed. The Roentgen rays caused also a 

 destruction of the lymphoid cells of the lymphatic glands. The 

 small lymphocytes were destroyed before the other cells. Slight 

 irradiation caused fatty degeneration; intense irradiation, nuclear 

 degeneration. Regeneration sometimes took place after irradia- 

 tion was discontinued. The effects in the bone marrow were less 

 intense than those in the spleen and lymphatic glands. The large 

 lymphocytes and myelocytes were chiefly attacked, the small 

 lymphocytes not showing the marked disintegration found in the 

 spleen. No effect on the red cells was discerned. There was an 

 undoubted inhibition of white cell production in the marrow after 

 irradiation. 



Pusey,^® Senri,*''' and a number of other American physicians, 

 introduced the treatment of leucaemia by the use of the Roentgen 

 rays. Pusey'^ attributes to Dr. A. J. Ochsner the first suggestion 



*'Pusey: Jour. Amer. Med. Association, 1902. 

 '"Senn: New York Med. Journal, 1903. 

 '^Pusey: Jour. Amer. Med. Association, 1905. 



