CHAPTER XII 



THE "EXPERIMENTAL TEN MINUTES" DIVISIONS IN- 

 DUCED IN THE SO-CALLED POLYMORPHONUCLEAR 



LEUCOCYTES METHOD FOR COUNTING THE NUMBER 



OF GRANULES CONTAINED IN EOSINOPHILE LEUCO- 

 CYTES, AND THE REDUCTION OF THIS NUMBER IN 

 THE CELLS OF CANCER PATIENTS. 



THE reduced number of chromosomes exhibited in 

 lymphocytes when they are forced to divide in ten 

 minutes by increasing the diffusion of the stain into 

 them with alkali reminded us forcibly that the cells 

 were undergoing mitosis under the stress of experi- 

 mental conditions. The somatic number of chromo- 

 somes of human cells is 32; and since lymphocytes will, 

 if their divisions are delayed, divide by the somatic 

 number, it appeared to us that the normal time occu- 

 pied by the division of the cells in the body is probably 

 much longer than the ten minutes allowed to them 

 on the microscope slide. It was appreciated that it 

 would be better if we could delay the diffusion of the 

 stain into the cells to such an extent as always to 

 produce somatic divisions. But unfortunately herein 

 we met with a difficulty which has not yet been over- 

 come. As we have pointed out, death has been delayed 



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