THE SO-CALLED X-BODIES AS ARTEFACTS IN 

 GLASS SLIDES.i 



By Weston P. Chamberlain and Edward B. Vedder.^ 



{From the United States Army Board for the Study of Tropical Diseases as they 

 Exist in the Philippine Islands.) 



Dr. Andrew Balfour (1) has announced the finding of the so-called 

 X-bodies in the blood of a patient suffering from urticaria. These bodies 

 were first reported by Horrocks and Howell(2) who found them in a case 

 of tertian malaria, in several cases of undetermined fever, in the citrated 

 blood from a rabbit and in the blood of oxen. They describe the X- 

 bodies as follows : 



"The bodies, when stained, were characterized by a faint capsule with a 

 circular centre staining deep blue; they varied in size, some being as large as 

 a red corpuscle, others only about one-eighth the size of a red corpuscle. In 

 addition to these forms, which were the most common, the following were also 

 seen: (a) A small blue circular centre surrounded by four or more faint 

 capsules, concentrically arranged; (6) two circular bodies, each having a dark 

 blue central point surrounded by a light blue ring, enveloped in one capsule 

 which appeared indented as if two capsules were in the process of formation; 

 (c) similar to (6) but the part surrounding the deep blue centre stained a deeper 

 blue, and two indented capsules were seen; (d) a dark blue central part shaped 

 like a crescent, containing a small circular body, with a deep blue central point 

 within the arms of the crescent. None of the bodies on the slide showed any 

 - signs of chromatin." 



Neither Horrocks and Howell nor Balfour commit themselves as to the nature 

 of these bodies. Indeed, the former authors say, "Having in view the diverse 

 nature of the cases in which the X-bodies were found, we are not justified in 

 considering that they were the cause of the pathological conditions observed." 

 It occurred to. Balfour that such bodies might be contaminations from the 

 skin, but this idea was subsequently dismissed, and none of these investigators 

 appear to doubt that the bodies were really obtained from the blood. Fortunately 

 they both furnish good and detailed drawings which permit of easy identification 

 of the X-bodies. 



^ Published by permission of the Cliief Surgeon, Philippines Division. 



' Weston P. Chamberlain, major. Medical Corps, United States Army and 

 Edward B. Vedder, captain, ISIedical Corps, United States Army, members of the 

 United States Army Board for the Study of Tropical Diseases as they Exist in the 

 Philippine Islands. ( 



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