694 INTERNAL SECRETIONS AND PRESERVATION OF LIFE. 



fact which leads the authors to conclude that the granules 

 cannot consist of fat or lecithin. Weak alkaline solution at 115 

 to 120 C. almost' entirely removed the granules from the 

 finely-granular cells, "but the most striking feature was the 

 persistence of two structures, the nuclei and the coarse oxy- 

 phile granules." Solutions o"f sodium carbonate ( 1 / 2 to 1 per 

 cent.), followed by careful washing, almost entirely removed 

 the fine oxyphile granules in from one to sixteen hours, while 

 the coarse ones were left. Oxalic acid (0.4 per cent, in alcohol, 

 then 1 V 4 -per-cent. watery solution) entirely removed the small 

 granules, a few of the coarsely-granular oxyphile cells contain- 

 ing pink-stained granules, while others were vacuolated. As 

 a result of these tests (which should be read in extenso in the 

 original paper) Milroy and Malcolm write as follows: "The pos- 

 sibility of both types of granules consisting of the same kind 

 of organic matter either differently bound or with organic salts 

 attached in such a way as to alter the solubilities is certainly a 

 strong one. That it is not simply albumin or globulin appears 

 evident from the comparatively insoluble character of both 

 types of granules, but especially the coarse oxyphile ones. 

 Again, the fact that the fine granules are not only oxyphile, 

 but also basophile, supports the view that they are composed 

 of a complex proteid substance. 25 . . ." The concordance of 

 these facts with those previously recorded appears to us con- 

 clusive. 



Milroy and Malcolm's researches not only seem to us to 

 give neutrophile granules their own identity (though showing 

 a distinct kinship to the larger acidophile granules), but also 

 to emphasize the fact that these minute masses of proteid sub- 

 stance represent the end-result of the intracellular process that 

 occurs during the journey of the leucocytes from the intestinal 

 villus to the general circulation via the portal and hepatic 

 vessels. 



Is it only in the cells that the reactions which serve to 

 convert proteids into assimilable products occur? The investi- 

 gations of Milroy and Malcolm will greatly assist us in eluci- 

 dating this question. 



28 The italics are our own. 



