PROTOPLASM AND CELLS. 83 
The high percentage of phosphorus in the micleo-proteid obtained by this 
method is certainly not in accord with the observations of Brodie and myself. 
We are justified in concluding from this work that the colourless 
corpuscles iif the blood which originate from lymphoid structures have a 
similar composition. It is, however, impossible to investigate the actual 
colourless blood corpuscles by macrochemical methods. Microchemically 
they can be shown sometimes to contain fat and glycogen. 1 
Pus cells are colourless corpuscles; which show a considerable amount 
of fatty degeneration and are generally dead ; these have been the subject 
of several researches. The nuclei consist of nuclein, which is historically 
interesting, because this was the first preparation made by the method of 
gastric digestion (Miescher). 2 
The protoplasm consists of proteids chiefly, but it also yields ex- 
tractives and inorganic salts. Hoppe-Seyler's analysis of two samples of 
dried pus cells give the following percentage results : — 
I. II. 
Proteids . . . 13-762 ) 
Xuclein . . . 34-257 [ , 68-585 67-369 
Insoluble substances . 20 '5 6 6 ) 
Lecithin \ 14383 ll**t 
Fats ) • ' ' " °°° \ 7-500 
Cholesterin . . . 7-400 7-283 
Cerebrin . . . 5-199? 10-°84 
Extractives . . . 4-433) 
Inorganic constituents in one hundred parts of dried pus corpuscles — 
NaCl . . . 0-435 P0 4 . . . 0-916 
Ca 3 (P0 4 ) 2 . . 0-205 Xa . . . 0-068 
Mg 3 (POj 2 . .0-113 K . . • traces. 
Fe 2 (P0 4 ) 2 " . .0-106 
Proteids of pus. — Boedecker 3 asserted that pus occasionally contains 
gelatin and ehondrin in addition to proteids, and a crystalline acid he 
termed chlorrhodinic acid, but Miescher was unable to confirm these 
results : Miescher was also unable to find any myosin, a substance pre- 
viously supposed to exist in the cell protoplasm. 
My own observations coincide with those of Miescher on this point, 
and also show that the most abundant proteid is nucleo-proteid. In 
fact, the proteids obtained from pus are practically the same as those from 
the thymus and other lymphoid structures. 
Fibrin ferment was prepared from pus by Eauschenbach. 4 C< rnsider- 
able quantities of proteoses and peptone are generally found in pus, and 
are doubtless produced during the retrogressive metamorphosis of the 
corpuscles. The original statement that pus contains peptone was made 
by Eichwald 5 and Hofmeister. 6 Though the method they employed 
was not perfectly trustworthy, S. Martin 7 showed that they were right 
in their conclusions. He placed pus under alcohol for many weeks. 
1 Schafer, "Course of Practical Histology," London, 1876, p. 39. 
2 Hoppe-Seyler's " Med. Chem. Untersuch.," 1871, Heft 4, S. 497. 
3 Ztschr. f. rat. Med., Leipzig, X.F., Bd. vi. 
4 Inaug. Diss., Dorpat, 1883 ; Jahresb. ii. d. Fortschr. d. Thier-Chem., Wiesbaden Bd. 
xiii. S. 134. 
5 Verliandl. d. phys-med. Gesellsch. zu Wiirzbv/rg, 1S64, S. 335. 
B Ztschr. f. physiol. Chem., Strassburg, 1864, Bd. ii. S. 295. 
7 Brit. Sled. Jov/nu, London, 1890. vol= ii p. 234. 
