477 



the injection is followed by marked haemoljtic symptoms, as appeai'ed 

 from the following experiments. 



Intravenous injection. A rabbit of 3620 gr. is injected in the 

 auricular vein 0.250 gr. of linolenic acid dispersed in 10 ccm. of 

 isotonic phosphate mixlure. After 10 minutes the surface tension of 

 the blood, which otherwise is 54,5 — 55,5 dynes/cm is decreased to 

 50 dynes and the serum is coloured lightly reddish. If now the 

 surface tension is measured with regular intervals, it is seen, thai 

 the surface tension can not rise to the normal value but always 

 has a value of 50 dynes approximately. The haemoglobinaemia is 

 increasing more and more. After twenty minutes a strong haemoglo- 

 binuria is observed, and the rabbit makes a very sick impression. 

 One hour after injection the animal dies with symptoms of utmost 

 anaemia and dyspnoe. 



In this way we could prove by several experiments, that a rabbit 

 is killed by intravenous injection of ± 100 mg. of linolenic acid per 

 Kg. under symptoms of very strong haemolysis. If smallei' quanlilies 

 of linolenic acid are given intravenously, the rabliit is not killed at 

 once, but a chronic haemolysis with severe anaemia, urobilinuria, 

 etc. sets on. When the linolenic acid is given intravenously, there 

 is always a certain chance, that a little too large dosis of linolenic 

 acid will lead to a direct mortal haemolysis. 



A severe chronic haemolytic anaemia is produced by the subcu- 

 taneous, or better intramuscular injection of the acid. In this case 

 the greater part of the injected substance seems to be inactivated 

 and the following disease develops itself. 



A rabbit of 3450 gr. in good state of health. Number of red cells 

 5,400,000. Haemoglobin 60 (Sahli). The form of the red cells in 

 plasma is purely biconcave; a very small degree of anisocytosis, no 

 polychromatophilia, absence of normoblasts. The serum is colourless 

 and does not contain bilirubin. No iiroblin or urobilinogen in the 

 uiin. The surface tension of the blood is 55,4 dynes at 19°. 



The rabbit is injected every day with 200 mgr. of linolenic acid 

 intranmscnlarly. After the first injection the surface tension of the 

 blood decreases to 51 — 52 dynes, and remains so during all the 

 experiment. 2 — 3 days after beginning of the treatment an intensive 

 urobilinuria sets on and does not disappear during the course of 

 injections. The blood picture shows from the third day a more and 

 more increasing anisocytosis and |)olychromatophdia, while the 

 number of irregularly shaped cells and spliaeric cells is rising. After 

 five days the number of red corpuscles was lowered to 2.500.000; 

 after that the first regeneration showed itself with numerous normo- 



31» 



