32 MORPHOLOGY OF THE FORMED ELEMENTS 



between typical lymphocytes with a small amount of strongly 

 basophile, coarsely reticular cytoplasm and typical large mono- 

 nuclears with a much larger amount of faintly basophile, finely 

 reticular cytoplasm. 



Variety III. Polymorphonuclears (polynuclears, polynuclear 

 neutrophiles, polymorphonuclear neutrophils, finely granular 

 oxyphile cells). The nucleus in this variety is several lobed, the 

 different lobes being connected by slender portions. Rarely the 

 nucleus consists of several separate parts. In shape the nucleus 

 is polymorphous; it may be twisted, spirally coiled, S-shaped, 

 U-shaped, Z-shaped or elongated. It is usually well stained and 

 is coarsely reticular. The cell body contains many fine granules, 

 so small that they appear as mere points. These granules show 

 a rather weak affinity for acid stains, showing as reddish points 

 with Jenner's or Wright's stains. The cell body is usually un- 

 stained. In size these cells vary from the size to about twice the 

 size of red corpuscles. 



In the domestic fowl the cells belonging to this variety differ 

 strikingly as to the granules from polymorphonuclears in mam- 

 mals. The nucleus varies in shape as in mammals and stains 

 similarly. The cell body contains many large granules, spindle 

 shaped with tapering ends, rod shaped with rounded ends, club 

 shaped or oval, that stain a reddish color with Jenner's stain or 

 eosin and methylene blue and a dark reddish with Wright's stain. 

 The tint with Wright's stain is darker with a little violet than 

 the clear reddish of the eosinophile granules of fowl's blood. With 

 Ehrlich's triacid stain the polymorphonuclear granules take a 

 deep reddish purple. The granules vary in size from one to three 

 micra in length by about one micron or less in width. 



This cell has generally been classed as an eosinophile * but it 



* It has had different names, more or less descriptive as, — "crystalloid 

 eosinophile," "polynuclear leucocyte with eosinophilic rods." The last name 

 is inexcusable. Polymorphonuclear is used as a descriptive term. The word 

 polymorphonuclear was coined, I believe, as the specific name of a certain 

 kind of leucocyte. At any rate it is now used as a specific term. Polymor- 

 phonuclears are not merely leucocytes with polymorphous nuclei. There 

 would be little difficulty if teachers would have beginning students use Roman 

 numerals or something as little descriptive to designate the several varieties 

 of leucocytes until their distinguishing characters are learned. The names 

 then would be recognized not as descriptive but as specific terms. That this 



