i a ee | 
’ 
THE STORY OF THE RED BLOOD CORPUSCLES. 107 
THE STORY OF THE RED BLOOD CORPUSCLES. 
By W. B. Drummonp, M.B., C.M., F.R.C.P.E. 
(Read 3rd October 1901.) 
(With lantern illustrations.) 
‘StncE Schleiden and Schwann promulgated the cell theory of 
the structure of living tissues, our knowledge of the form, 
appearance, and life-history of cells has continued steadily 
to advance, and is still advancing at the present day. 
There are few cells which are more easily obtainable for 
examination by means of the microscope than the corpuscles 
of the human blood. This fact, together with the recognition 
of the important part played by the corpuscles in the 
functions of the blood, has led to the most careful and pains- 
‘taking investigation of the microscopic structure of these 
bodies. To anyone who is acquainted with the energy with 
which this branch of research has been pursued, and the 
mass of details with which it has been rewarded, it may 
appear somewhat surprising that even by this, apparently the 
most superficial and obvious method of studying the blood, 
additions to our knowledge still continue yearly to be made. 
The subject of the paper which I have the pleasure of 
submitting to you this evening may perhaps seem a little 
outside the scope of the ordinary work of this Society. If 
this is indeed so, I would beg you to think of the cor- 
puscles of the blood as being, in a certain sense, independent 
living organisms which possess, from the biological point of 
view, the same intrinsic interest as an amceba or other 
unicellular animal. It would, I suppose, be impossible for 
us to embrace, and apply to the cellular elements of the 
blood, the more extreme of recent speculations on the so- 
called “psychic life of micro-organisms.” But even if we 
-cannot think of the corpuscles possessing any “ consciousness ” 
of the larger life in which they play so notable a part, 
‘we must at least admit that each of them has a life-history 
