362 RETROGRESSIVE PROCESSES 



found in protozoa, as well as in all varieties of intestinal worms. 

 According to Barfurth, nematodes in glycogen-free animals may 

 contain glycogen. The glycogen is found chiefly in the con- 

 nective tissues of the intestinal parasites, but in some of the 

 nematodes it occurs chiefly in the sexual organs and muscle- 

 cells. The walls of hydatid cysts contain much glycogen, 

 which is, perhaps, related to the usual presence of sugar in 

 their contents. If Habershon's contention is correct, that 

 eosinophile granules are related to glycogen, we may have here 

 an explanation of the occurrence of eosinophilia in infection 

 with animal parasites. (See also " Animal Parasites," Chap, v.) 



Glycogen in I/eucocytes. The occurrence of glycogen 

 in the blood has aroused much interest, particularly in relation 

 to its diagnostic value. Many leucocytes contain granules that 

 stain with iodin, and although it is possible that these are not 

 all granules of glycogen, yet, for the most part, they probably 

 represent this substance in excessive quantities. The granules 

 are observed chiefly in the polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, but 

 also in large and small mononuclear cells ; only in diabetes do 

 the eosinophiles contain glycogen, according to most authors, 

 but Habershon believes that eosinophile granules are related to 

 or identical with glycogen. Occasional granules are also found 

 free (or perhaps contained in blood-platelets) in all blood, 

 whether normal or pathological, 1 whereas, according to Locke, 

 the leucocytes contain the granules only in pathological condi- 

 tions. It does not seem to be settled whether the glycogen is 

 taken on by the leucocytes at the place of pathological lesion, 

 or in the bone-marrow under the influence of circulating poi- 

 sons, or both. Habershon states that from 1 to 16 per cent, 

 of all leucocytes normally contain glycogen granules, and 

 Wolff believes that the glycogen seen in leucocytes repre- 

 sents normal glycogen made insoluble through injury. 



Locke gives the occurrence of this abnormal iodin staining 

 of the leucocytes (termed iodophilia) as follows : " Septic condi- 

 tions of all kinds, including septicemia, abscesses, and local 

 sepsis, except in the earliest stages, appendicitis accompanied 

 by abscess formation or peritonitis, general peritonitis, empy- 

 ema, pneumonia, pyonephrosis, salpingitis with severe inflam- 

 mation or abscess formation, tonsillitis, gonorrheal arthritis, and 

 hernia or acute intestinal obstruction where the bowel has 



1 Literature Locke and Cabot, Jour. Med. Research, 1902 (7), 25; Locke, 

 Boston Med. and Surg. Jour., 1902 (147), 289; Reich, Beitr. klin. Chir., 

 1904 (42), 277; Kiittner, Arch. klin. Chir., 1904 (73), 438; Gulland, Brit. 

 Med. Jour., 1904 (i), 880; Habershon, Jour. Path, and Bact., 1906 (11), 95; 

 Wolff, Zeit. klin. Med., 1904 (51), 407. 



