THE SCIENCE AND ART OF PROTEAL THERAPY 199 



unable to undertake such a voyage six weeks earlier, before be- 

 ginning the Proteal treatment. 



At the end of the journey, the patient was subjected to both 

 mental and physical strain for a term of weeks, during which 

 time she had only occasional doses of Proteals, and was not under 

 observation as to the blood count. It was reported that she 

 stood the strain amazingly at first, but subsequently, after four 

 or five weeks, suffered a relapse, with recurrence of spells of 

 dizziness and a feeling of general debility. Proteal treatment 

 was resumed, and continued with clinical benefits, after the 

 patient's return to New York, No. 45 being chiefly used, in 

 doses of five to eight minims, administered at lengthening inter- 

 vals, and finally discontinued about six months after the initial 

 treatment. 



On March 30, 1917, the blood picture was : Haemoglobin, 90 ; 

 red corpuscles, 5,152,000; leucocytes, 5,000, with 56 per cent, 

 polynuclears, 18.5 small lymphocytes, 24 per cent, large mono- 

 cytes, and 1.5 eosinophiles. On May 16, the count showed 4,744,- 

 000 erythrocytes and 5,600 leucocytes. Seven months later (De- 

 cember 11), with no treatment since June, the blood showed 

 4,912,000 red cells and 6,000 white; and on January 28, 1918, 

 fourteen months after the original use of the Proteals, the exam- 

 ination showed 5,528,000 red cells and 8,600 leucocytes. 



Clinically, the patient has attained a condition of fairly robust 

 health, all the disturbing symptoms having disappeared ; and 

 such is her condition at the moment of present writing, sixteen 

 months after the institution of the Proteal treatment and eight 

 months after it was discontinued. 



It is worth while to make inquiry as to whether a satisfactory 

 theoretical explanation can be found of such striking modifica- 

 tions of the blood count as are above recorded, in particular with 

 reference to the spectacular decrease in the number of white 

 corpuscles at the outset. It should be added that I have had 

 no closely similar case with equally marked leukaemic tendency 

 in which so spectacular an effect was observable ; but, on the 

 other hand, I have numerous records, some of which have al- 

 ready been presented, of cases in which the white blood cell count 

 has been very rapidly reduced from 12,000, 14,000, and 16,000 to 

 the normal by a few doses of vegetable proteins. How shall we 

 account for this striking phenomenon? 



BLOOD CHANGES TENTATIVELY EXPLAINED 



It is desirable to say that the explanation about to be given 

 is put forward tentatively. We know too little about the genesis 

 and transformations of the blood corpuscles to speak dogmati- 



