512 



CHAMBERLAIN, BLOOMBERGH, AND KILBOURNE. 



A study of Table IV shows that in nearly all of the differential counts 

 some abnormality was apparent. The most evident change is the in- 

 crease in the percentage of eosinophils, only 8 out of 40 giving counts 

 below 4 per cent. The highest was 32. 5 per cent, another was 22 per 

 cent ami 15 were over 10 per cent. The average of the whole series was 

 8.9 per cent. In the Medical Survey of Taytay( 4 ) the eosinophilia in 

 129 differential counts of the blood of Filipinos was 11.2 per cent 'and in 

 64 white American soldiers in the United States with uncinariasis it was 

 8.5 per cent. ( 6 ) 



This increase in eosinophils is to be accounted for in rare instances, 

 perhaps, by skin diseases, but in the vast majority of cases by the infections 

 with intestinal parasites. However, an increase is not invariable in the 

 latter condition. Case number 11. with uncinaria and Trichocephalus ova 

 present, had no eosinophils in 200 cells and 7 other cases with Tricho- 

 cephalus or Ascdris or both, showed the eosinophils less than 4 per cent. 

 Case number 1 gave 9 per cent of eosinophils and no ova of intestinal 

 parasites, but it is quite probable that a more thorough search would 

 have revealed a few hookworm eggs. 



The next most noticeable abnormality is a marked decrease in the 

 relative numbers of the polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, which averaged 

 46.9 per cent for the whole series. This is in part due to the increase 

 in the eosinophils and in part to an abnormally large percentage of 

 small lymphocytes, the average for the series being 37.2 per cent. 



Comparing this with the results of differential counts on Filipinos at 

 Taytay there is agreement in character, although the changes from 

 normal are more marked in our series as shown below : 



Table V. — Average differential counts. 



Place. 



Poly- 

 morph- 

 neutro- 



phil. 



Eosino- 

 phils. 



Lym- 

 pho- 

 cytes. 



Large 

 mono- 

 nucle- 

 ars. 



Transi- 

 tionals. 



Mast 

 cells. 





46.9 

 51.7 



8.9 

 11.2 



37.2 

 34.5 



3.5 

 4.1 



3.2 



0.4 

 0.1 









Therefore, we may look upon the Igorots (and probably upon most 

 other Filipinos) as having a chronically increased percentage of eosin- 

 ophils and small lymphocytes with a corresponding decrease in the 

 polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, which condition apparently does not 

 injuriously affect their health. This disturbance of the normal propor- 

 tions of different varieties of leucocytes is probable common to most 

 primitive and semicivilized peoples in the Tropics and the relative reduc- 

 tion of the polymorphonuclear phagocytic elements possibly may be a 

 factor in the low resistance which such races offer to certain' infectious 

 diseases. 



