Bakewell. — On the Red Corpuscles of the Blood. xxxiii 



The next day another specimen kept under the same conditions is noted 

 as having " great diversities in size of the red corpuscles, but, as a rule, much 

 smaller." The next day it is noted that "there are still red corpuscles 

 dividing, and many in pairs^ as if not yet separated. A number of pale cells, 

 like decolourized red corpuscles. All these disappear with acetic acid." 



These notes were made primarily with reference to the reproduction of 

 vaccine and pus, and with no intention of experimenting on the red corpuscles 

 which had got in accidentally. About this time, having under his care some 

 cases of croupous pneumonia, the writer examined the rusty coloured sputa, 

 and then found that in specimens distinctly coloured to the naked eye there 

 was either very few, or in some cases no normal red corpuscles, but many 

 presenting various irregular forms, and especially many small spheroidal bodies 

 of the colour of blood corpuscles, and similar to those noted above. 



These observations coincided with those made by Beale, as far as the 

 changes in form go, but he does not speak of them as occurring out of the body. 



In the sputum of pneumonia many rows of red corpuscles will be seen, 

 somewhat altered in shape, generally much swollen, and arranged like a string 

 of beads. These are often pulled out by the mucus, in which they are 

 entangled. If this mucus be submitted to the heat of the human body for a 

 few hours, in place of these strings of red corpuscles there will be found 

 similar collections of much smaller bodies, evidently occupying the place of 

 the red corpuscles which have disappeared. This experiment must be very 

 carefully performed, as sputum detached from the body, but kept at a 

 temperature of 98*6, will putrify in about six hours, and gives off a most 

 horrible smell. Apparently this is from the mixture of saliva, as mucus 

 hawked up from the throat direct, without touching the mouth, keeps for a 

 much longer time — twenty hours in fact. Possibly the presence of the sulpho- 

 cyanides in the saliva may favour rapid decomposition. 



These experiments, of which the details would be tedious, taken together 

 with the fact that the red colouring matter of the blood is diffused through 

 pneumonia (and some other sputum) in a way which never could take place 

 mechanically, convinced the writer that some vital changes would occur in 

 blood removed from the blood vessels, but supplied with pabulum, and kept at 

 a temperature of 98.6. 



On thinking the matter over, it occurred to the writer that the nucleated 

 oval corpuscles of birds would be not only much larger, but would show much 

 more clearly the nature of the changes that took place. By this means several 

 inconveniences attending the use of mammalian blood — such as the extreme 

 smallness of the corpuscles — were avoided, but as it was difficult to procure 

 enough serum from the blood itself, in many of the experiments the albumen 

 of the hen's egg was employed, which answers just as well as serum. The 



