PROTOPLASM AND CELLS. 83 



The high percentage of phosphorus in the nucleo-proteicl 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 of the blood which originate from lymphoid structures have a 

 similar composition. It is, however, impossible to investigate the actual 

 colourless blood corpuscles by inacrochemical 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 ) 



Nuclein . . . 34'257 V 68'585 67-369 



Insoluble substances . 20 '566 ) 



Lecithin { / 7 '564 



Fats J ' \ 7-500 



Cholesterin . . . 7'400 7'283 



Cerebrin . . . 5-199) ift-984. 



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 Na . . . 0-068 



Mg 3 (P0 4 ) 2 . . 0-113 K . traces. 



Fe,(P0 4 ) 2 . 0-106 



Proteids of pus. Boedecker 3 asserted that pus occasionally contains 

 gelatin and choridrin 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 Kauschenbach. 4 Consider- 

 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. 

 * Ztschr.f. rat. Med., Leipzig, N.F., Bd. vi. 



4 Inaug. Diss., Dorpat, 1883 ; Jahresb. ii. d. Fortsclir. d. TMer-Chcm. ,Wi&fo*fato Bd. 

 xiii. S. 134. 



5 Verhandl. d. phys-med. Gesellscli. KU Wurzburg, 1864, S. 335. 



6 Ztsclir. f. physiol. Chem., Strassburg, 1864, Bd. ii. S. '295. 



7 Jh'it. Med. Journ.. London, 1890, voL ii. p. 234. 



