consequent upon Inflammations of acute local Character. 203 



ment or not. The evidence rather indicates that the particles in the 

 fine vacuoles are produced within the cells and not ingested. But 

 that the particles are related to the granules of the coarsely granular 

 cell there is no evidence to show. In cat's blood, where the true 

 a-granule is cylindroid, the small round particles appearing in the 

 leucocytes in vitro are not cylindroid nor are they so highly refracting ; 

 besides, they are much smaller, and their fineness leaves me in doubt 

 over the phosphorus and oxyphil reactions of them. 



If substances produced at the seat of local injury and inflammation 

 leak into the circulation and there irritate the coarsely granular cell 

 and produce lysis of its granules, some imitation of the process might 

 be expected from the following experiment. Blood from which, when 

 it circulated, the coarsely granular leucocytes were disappearing at 

 an estimated rate of more than half a million per minute, was drawn 

 and centrifuged, and the plasma obtained from it was added to normal 

 blood containing plenty of 'Coarsely granular cells. The coarsely 

 granular cells 6, 12 and 24 hours afterwards, did not seem appreciably 

 altered in number. In one instance two particular individuals of the 

 cell were observed at intervals for 32 hours, sketched, and their 

 granules couaated ; no change in siae or number of their granules 

 occurred. 



I feel justified in believing, therefore, that the disappearance of 

 the coarsely gramilar <oell in inflammatory blood does not go on in 

 such blood when placed in vitro. 



Some observers hold that the various forms of hsemic leucocytes are 

 not distinct species or -varieties, but that they merely present the 

 various aspects of one pleomorphic organism. If all kinds of hamiic 

 leucocyte are thus transitionally related, it is possible that the coarsely 

 granular cell >can become actually one of the other haemic cells. 

 Unless this transition is -wont to be effected very suddenly, the argu- 

 ments I have -adduced against, in the present instance, the disappear- 

 ance of the cell from the circulation being due to lysis of its granules, 

 apply for the most part against explanation by the pleomorphism 

 hypothesis also. 



An explanation that may be suggested is that chemical substances 

 generated at the locus IcRsionis act on the blood just as Lowit* believes 

 albumoses, &c. act when injected intra venam, i.e., altogether destroy 

 and dissolve certain of the leucocytes. The substances produced in 

 the particular aaflanarnations studied might destroy especially the 

 coarsely granular forms. Does tke coarsely granular form of leucocyte 

 suffer even more severely than the finely granular when albumoses 

 are injected intravenously ? To test this I observed the leucocytes in 

 samples of carotid blood drawn 3 6 minutes after injection of 

 2 grammes of hemialbumose (Griibler) (5 per cent, in 0'7 per cent. 



* Op. dt. 



