1894.] Leucocytes from the Blood after Injection of Peptone. 299 



ear-vein, and, five seconds afterwards, the white-blood corpuscles in 

 the opposite ear enumerated, when no diminution in their number 

 was found. Eighteen hours after the injection an intense leucocy- 

 tosis was found to have become developed, no fewer than 184,500 

 white blood corpuscles being found in each cubic millimetre of blood 

 drawn from the ear. 



Again, 20 c.c. of a 10 per cent, peptone solution were injected ; this 

 time by the left jugular vein, and, five seconds afterwards, the animal 

 killed. The blood in the left ventricle contained 1000 white blood 

 corpuscles per cubic millimetre, the right ventricle 3000, and the 

 inferior vena cava in the lumbar region 5000. 



Sections of the spleen contained 262 and 308, the lung 435, 325, 

 and 348, and the liver 78 and 82. 



Presenting, for the sake of clearness, the above facts in a tabular 

 form, an average of the various numbers being set down, the contrast 

 is striking. 



From the above table it is seen that the lung harbours a greater 

 proportion of the leucocytes which have disappeared from the blood 

 than any other organ. This may be accounted for by the fact that 

 this organ is the first acted on by the peptone solution after its injec- 

 tion into the jugular vein. 



Other organs, such as the kidney, supra-renals, and ovary, were 

 found to coutain so few leucocytes, either before or after the injection 

 of peptone, that the results as regards them have been neglected. 



I conclude from the above experiments that the injection of a solu- 

 tion of peptone into the circulation of rabbits does not cause, as has 

 been asserted, a destruction of leucocytes, but merely a withdrawal of 

 them into various organs, notably the lungs and spleen. 



J 



The Society then adjourned over the Easter Recess to Thursday, 

 ril 19. 



