ANGIOLOGY 263 



vacuoles contract about a small indistinct remnant of the nucleus, 

 which in its turn ultimately disappears. During this latter process 

 the size of the hemophage gradually decreases. The hemoglobin, 

 which has escaped into the cytoplasm of the hemophage, is seen to 

 undergo a series of changes. At first the greater part of the pigment 

 does not give the iron reaction but retains its yellow-bronze tone 

 with erythrosin and occupies vacuoles of various sizes. Later the 

 contents of the vacuoles give the iron react'on and with increasing 

 intensity. Later there is a gradual decrease in the staining reaction 

 indicating that the iron gradually disappears from the cells which 

 extracted it from the red blood cells it digests. As a summary we 

 find, that these cells take care of the worn out red blood cells. They 

 devour them; hemolyze them, destroying the stroma and nucleus; 

 split the hemoglobin and free the iron; and then finally return to 

 their normal form. 



The spleen contains the same type cells, but they are fewer in 

 number. For the most part they are confined to the pulp cords and 

 have no such evident relation to the vessel wall, or lumen, as in the 

 liver. 



The function of the cells of the spleen are essentially the same ass 

 those in the liver. , 



Iron freed from the worn out red blood cells is not retained by the 

 cells freeing it, nor is it found in the bile. It does not occur else- 

 where in the tissues of the liver and spleen. It is possibly discharged 

 into the blood stream, and transported to the hemapoietic tissues. 

 Cells which hemolyze red blood cells and liberate the iron are to be 

 seriously throught of in connection with bile formation since bili- 

 rubin is approximately, if not identical with, iron-free hematoidon. 



