REVIEWS. 297 



large number of the bodies which the authors call " micro- 

 cytes." They are characterised, not only by their small size, 

 but also by certain peculiar properties. 



Their shape is perfectly spherical, and their surface per- 

 fectly smooth, even when examined with very high powers. 

 Their diameter'\& in the immense majority of cases '004 mm., 

 perhaps one in a hundred rather smaller, but they never fall 

 Iselow "003 mm. The colour is the same as that of the red cor- 

 puscles, but, perhaps, a little darker. They are highly re- 

 fracting, and thus contrast with the ordinary disks. They 

 do not agglomerate like the ordinary corpuscles, but remain 

 isolated between the masses of the latter. They are extremely 

 mobile, being easily displaced by the smallest movement of the 

 cover glass. As to their nature, these bodies are certainly not 

 themselves nuclei, and do not contain nuclei. Their number 

 was found in the earlier observations made to be at least 

 equal to that of the ordinary red disks. In later observa- 

 tions the number of microcytes Avas greatly in excess. At 

 the last examination, indeed, there were found to be not more 

 than one or two normal red corpuscles to a hundred micro- 

 cytes. 



Besides the typical form of microcytes just described, 

 there were found certain intermediate forms ; for instance, 

 some were as large as '005 mm. in diameter, with some ap- 

 pearance of a central depression and without the brilliancy 

 of the microcytes ; these were seen especially at the com- 

 mencement of the disease. Others, again, were as brilliant 

 as the ordinary form, but measured '005 mm. in diameter. 

 These were chiefly seen at the last examination of the blood. 



In general, no alteration was observed in the blood Avhile 

 under observation, but once only, on the last occasion when 

 the blood was examined, the number of spherical globules 

 visibly increased, but these spherical bodies formed out of 

 the discoid were always rather larger than the previously 

 existing microcytes. After maceration for two days no 

 rouleaux are seen, and most of the discoid corpuscles be- 

 come spherical, but they may still be distinguished from the 

 microcytes. The action of heat on the microcytes is similar 

 to the effect it produces on the red disks ; in both cases seg- 

 mentation occurs, but less readily in microcytes than in the 

 ordinary disks. Distilled water has no effect on their form 

 or size, but slowly decolourises them. Acetic acid and dilute 

 solution of potash dissolve the spherical as they do the discoid 

 corpuscles. 



The urine showed no special abnormality, beyond a large 

 quantity of uric acid. 



