884 INFLUENCE OF FOOD PRESERVATIVES ON HEALTH. 



period, but this loss is entirely recovered and a slight increase noted in 

 the number of white corpuscles in the after period over the fore period. 

 The data for No. 6 are not so valuable for comparison because only 

 one observation was made of the number of corpuscles in the fore 

 period, the original No. 6, who was under observation for four days, 

 having been unavoidably removed from the table and a new man 

 substituted, for whom the count was made only once before the 

 administration of the preservative. In this case there is an increase 

 in the number of red corpuscles during the preservative period over 

 the one count of the fore period, and a diminution in the number of 

 white corpuscles. On account of the incompleteness of the data of 

 No. 6 they are not used in the general summary. 



SUMMARIES. 



Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, of the members of the squad received the 

 sulphurous acid in the form of sodium sulphite, and Nos. 4 to 6, 

 inclusive, in the form of free sulphurous acid. No. 6 is excluded 

 from the summary, as the data are incomplete. 



In the case of those who received sodium sulphite there was a 

 marked decrease in the number both of the red and the white corpus- 

 cles during the period of observation. The data for Nos. 4 and 5, who 

 completed the course with free sulphurous acid, show also a marked 

 diminution in both the number of red and white corpuscles. The 

 average percentage of decrease of the red corpuscles in the case of 

 Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, is 2.5, and of the white corpuscles, 3.1. In the 

 case of free sulphurous acid the average percentage decrease of Nos. 

 4 and 5 in red corpuscles is 3.6 and in white corpuscles 14.6. 



Figure 3 sets forth graphically, both for the individuals and for the 

 summaries, the extent of the diminution of the red and white blood 

 cells. Unmistakably the data for the special study bear out those 

 obtained in Series VII, and seem to establish the fact that the admin- 

 istration of sulphurous acid both in the free state and in the form of 

 sulphites tends to diminish the number of the red and white cor- 

 puscles in the blood. 



