50 
woman of ninety-eight years of age. The assertion of Neu- 
mann, that the number of transitional forms diminishes with 
increased age, was foundto be confirmed in the extreme cases ; 
but for intermediate cases, or generally for any universal 
conclusions, the number of cases (twenty or thirty) seemed 
insufficient. Four special cases seemed worth more detailed 
notice :— 
1. Ina case of Addison’s disease, the medullary fluid con- 
taining, properly speaking, nothing but white cells, and the 
transitional forms were fewer and less distinct than in any of 
the other cases. 
2. In a woman who died of puerperal hemorrhage, tran- 
sitional forms in all stages of development were extremely 
numerous and well-defined. 
3. In a woman who had committed suicide (poisoning 
with hydrochloric acid), transitional forms were more distinct 
and somewhat more numerous than in the case of individuals 
dying of a long or short illness. 
4, In phthisical patients, about as many transitional forms 
as in the second case. The constant occurrence of coloured 
cells with two nuclei was very noticeable; in one case there 
was a cell with three nuclei. 
It should be mentioned that almost always more transi- 
tional forms were found in rabbits than in the human subject. 
Cases of leukaemia were also investigated. In a case of 
Neumann’s, he had previously observed that the vascular 
network, generally so richly developed in the medulla, was 
absent. ‘The medullary cells were not only extremely nume- 
rous, but showed very remarkable differences in size. The 
few vessels which remained contained almost entirely red 
corpuscles. These very interesting results agree perfectly 
with the view that the abundance of white cell$ in the blood, 
which characterises this disease, may be due to a diminished 
conversion of white cells into red, as well as to an increased 
production of the former. It is, however, clear from the 
occasional occurrence of coloured nucleated cells in the blood 
of leukemic persons, that the blood metamorphosis cannot 
be entirely suspended, the probable explanation being that 
‘ these cells have left the marrow before their complete trans- 
formation. 
Eales had the opportunity of examining a femur and a rib 
of a leukemic person, but not till they had been long pre- 
served in spirit. In these specimens he found the medullary 
cells well developed and numerous, the vessels containing 
what looked like white and red corpuscles. No transitional 
forms were seen, but the weight of these observations was 
