1874.] in the Liquor Sanguinis. 393 



article in which he records the results of a long series of observations on 

 their presence in various acute and chronic diseases. His investigations 

 of the blood of patients, which were much more extensive than any 

 I have been able to undertake, show that, in all exanthems and chronic 

 affections of whatever sort, indeed in almost all cases attended with 

 disturbance of function and debility, these masses are to be found. He 

 concludes that their number is in no proportion to the severity of the 

 disease, and that they are more numerous in the latter stages of an 

 affection, after the acute symptoms have subsided. The former of these 

 propositions is undoubtedly true, as I have rarely found masses larger or 

 more abundant than I, at one time, obtained from my own blood when in 

 a condition of perfect health. These two accounts may be said to coin- 

 prise every thing of any importance that has been written concerning these 

 bodies. The following observers refer to them cursorily : Erb *, in a 

 paper on the development of the red corpuscles, speaks of their presence 

 under both healthy and diseased conditions : he had hoped, in the begin- 

 ning of his research, that they might stand, as Zimmerman supposes (see 

 below), in some connexion with the origin and development of the red 

 corpuscles ; but, as he proceeded, the fallacy of this -view became evident 

 to him. Bettelheim t seems to refer to these corpuscles when he speaks 

 of finding in the blood of persons, healthy as well as diseased, small 

 punctiforai, or rod-shaped, corpuscles of various sizes. Christol and. 

 Kiener J describe in blood small round corpuscles, whose measurements 

 agree with the ones under consideration ; and they also speak of their 

 exhibiting slight movements. E/iess , in a criticism on a work of the 

 next-mentioned author, again refers to these masses, and reiterates his 

 statements concerning them. Birsch-Hirschfeld|| had noticed them and 

 the similarity the corpuscles bore to micrococci, and suggests that under 

 some conditions Bacteria might develop from them. Zimmerman U" has 

 described corpuscular elements in the blood, which, with reference to the 

 bodies in question, demand a notice here. He let blood flow directly into 

 a solution of a neutral salt, and, after the subsidence of the coloured 

 elements, examined the supernatant serum, in which he found, in extra- 

 ordinary numbers, small, round, colourless corpuscles with weak contours, 

 to which he gave the name of " elementary corpuscles." These he met 

 with in human blood both in health and disease and in the blood of the 

 lower animals; and he found gradations between the smaller (always colour- 

 less) forms and full-sized red corpuscles. Pie gives measurements (for the 

 smaller ones, from one 1000th to one 800th of a line ; the largest, one 



* Virchow's Archiv, Bd. xxxiv. 



t Wiener med. Presse, 1868, No. 13. 



J Comptes Eendus, Ixvii. 1054. Quoted in ' Centralblatt,' 1869, p. 96. 



Centralblatt, 1873, No. 34. 



|j Centralblatt, 1873, No. 39. 



^T Virchow's Archiv, Bd. xviii. 



