415 



NOTES. 



Phagocytosis of Malarial Crescents. 

 By J. M. Bernstein, M.B. (Lond.) 



Plate XVI. 



Whilst examining some fresh blood-films, taken from a man (a 

 patient in the Westminster Hospital), who had contracted the 

 malignant type of malarial fever some twelve months previously 

 on the West African coast, we noticed, to us, an unusual method 

 of destruction of the crescentic form of the parasite. The process 

 was one of phagocytosis, with peculiar behaviour of the 'Surround- 

 ing leucocytes. 



Two films were made, and the cover-slips surrounded with 

 vaselin to prevent evaporation, and, though not examined on a 

 warm-stage, the heat of the oil lamp concentrated through the con- 

 denser appeared to act as such, for the leucocytes remained fairly 

 active during the period of observation, about five hours. 



The films were examined under a Zeiss objective ^-in. ocular 

 No. 3, and from each, at intervals of a few minutes, a series of 

 sketches was made of the same field, which contained at the outset 

 a leucocyte, some red blood-corpuscles, and a female crescent with 

 well marked centrally arranged pigment granules. A selection of 

 these diagrams is appended (Plate XVI.). 



The process seems to divide itself into two parts, viz., the 

 ingestion and destruction of the crescent, and the attempted de- 

 struction of its pigment. 



At 1 . 45 p.m. the film was made, and a crescent brought into 

 the field of view. At 2.30 p.m. it had altered in shape and become 

 more spheroidal, and was partially within the substance of a 

 leucocyte (fig. 1), which a few minutes later entirely surrounded 

 it (fig. 2). Within the substance of the leucocyte a vacuole began 

 to form around the crescent, whose outline could barely be dis- 

 tinguished from that of the vacuole at 2 . 50 p.m. (fig. 3). At this 

 time the pigment granules became very active, and they danced 

 about with great energy, giving the impression that the crescent 

 was still alive, though shortly afterwards its outline could not Vie 

 distinguished, and only the pigment remained. Around this the 

 vacuole increased in size, and by 3.10 p.m. (fig. 5) occupied the 

 greater portion of the leucocyte, with the now motionless pigment 

 at its centre. It continued to "row for a few minutes more and 



