IN DISEASES. 263 



some cases scarcely any diminution of the blood-cells can be 

 observed, although there may be a considerable increase of the 

 fibrin. 



The diminution of the solid constituents is in general propor- 

 tional to the violence of the inflammation, and also to the quantity 

 of exudations thrown off. Where there has been no great amount 

 of exudation, the solid constituents are sometimes found to be 

 augmented rather than diminished (as for instance in bronchitis). 

 The diminution of the solid residue of the serum depends mainly 

 upon the decrease of the albumen ; for the salts in the serum are 

 unaltered, and the fats, or rather the cholesterin, may be consider- 

 ably increased. 



We cannot at the present time attempt to decide whether 

 the group of symptoms which accompany most acute diseases, 

 and are designated as fever, are characterised by certain constant 

 alterations in the relative quantities of the blood-constituents; but 

 all investigations agree in showing that fever itself exerts neither 

 an increasing or decreasing action on the vacillating amount of 

 fibrin in the blood. The enquiries hitherto made, do not warrant 

 us in deciding whether the admixture of the blood, which Becquerel 

 and Rodier believe they have found to exist during the development 

 of every acute disease, can be regarded as peculiar to fever. Accord- 

 ing to these authors, the blood presents at this time the following 

 appearances : it is in general somewhat more watery than in its 

 normal state; the corpuscles are slightly diminished in number, 

 while among the fats, the cholesterin and the phosphorised fats are 

 especially increased; the extractive matters and the soluble salts 

 occur in normal quantity, while the phosphates are considerably 

 augmented. 



The same enquirers found that the blood-corpuscles, as well as 

 the fibrin and the soluble salts of the serum, occurred in their 

 normal quantity in simple ephemeral and remittent fevers, while the 

 albumen was slightly diminished and the cholesterin increased. 



In slight intermittent fevers, Zimmermann found that the fibrin 

 was only increased in some few cases, being more frequently 

 diminished, but it in general occurred in the normal quantity. Its 

 increase appeared to stand in a direct relation to the duration of 

 the fever. Becquerel and Rodier found the fibrin diminished in 

 most cases of intermittent fever. 



In endemic intermittent fevers, the blood-corpuscles are seldom 

 diminished to any considerable degree, except in relapses, but are 

 frequently increased in quantity. The fibrin is invariably aug- 



