DR. MARTIN BARRY ON THE CORPUSCLES OP THE BLOOD. 205 



Sir F. H. E. Stiles opportunities for viewing human blood by means of lenses of the 

 same kind ; when the'latter communicated to the Society his observations, or rather 

 the observations of Di Torre, as confirmed by himself-}-. So little importance is 

 attached, in the present day, to the observations of Di Torre, that in historical 

 accounts of the blood-corpuscles, I believe it is usual to pass them by, as not deser- 

 ving of notice : probably from an idea that his optical instruments were too imperfect. 

 But I shall not hesitate to here transcribe a passage from those observations of Di 

 Torre, although far from vouching for their entire accuracy. 



66. " When," says the writer, " any of the globules [blood-corpuscles] happened 

 to move with the serum in the most perfect focus,*** I could with great clearness 

 distinguish the exterior and interior circumference of the ring, of which each globule 

 [corpuscle] consisted ; the interior one being bounded by a black line or shade next 

 the perforation, exactly resembling that which bounded the exterior one,***. In 

 such globules [corpuscles] I could easily observe the ring to be articulated, the 

 transverse lines at the joints being very distinguishable. The figures of the articula- 

 tions were various ; in some they were roundish, so that the ring appeared like a 

 bead necklace ; in others, cylindrical, and of some length. The number of which 

 the whole was composed, seemed uncertain, varying from two or three to six or 

 seven ; many of the rings were broke, either by some confinement of the talks [talc], 

 or by beating against each other, which I saw them continually do ; and by these 

 accidents the joints of the rings were detached, and wandered about separately in 

 great numbers ; and indeed they appeared separable with as much ease as if they 

 had been united by mere contact only. Some of the rings were broke into semi- 

 circles, others into greater or less portions, and others again divided into their con- 

 stituent articulations, which in some places floated about single, and in others formed 

 by their mutual attraction a lateral union, like the pipes of an organ. I must observe 

 also, that these separated parts seemed to be hollow and transparent, and like in- 

 flated bladders, would easily yield, and change their figure, stretching or contracting 

 themselves from round to oval and cylindrical, and vice versd, as any lateral pressure 

 in crouding [crowding] them along with the serum brought a constraint upon them. 

 *** Although the articulation was not distinguishable in every globule, I think it was 

 so in the greater part of them ; and it is natural to imagine that the rest were articu- 

 lated likewise, though they might not pass at the proper distance for its being 

 distinguished J." 



Q'J. Such were the observations placed on record by the Royal Society seventy-six 

 years ago, which I had not read until fig. 23. of the present paper was nearly finished. 

 As already stated, I do not believe they were accurate in all respects. But if the figure 

 just mentioned be again referred to, it will be found that observations made by 

 myself in 1840 and 1841, with an excellent instrument, while they very widely differ 

 from those of late observers, confirm to a degree that is astonishing, some of the 

 t Philosophical Transactions, 1765, p. 252. : L. c. pp. 254, 255. 



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