EXAMINATIONS OF STOOLS AND BLOOD. 51 



o 



The decrease of polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, combined with in- 

 crease of small lymphocytes seems in some way to be related to tropical 

 conditions, not only being present in natives, as shown above, but also 

 developing in white men after a period of residence in the Philippines. 

 Wickline, at Camp McGrath, Batangas, examined the blood of 104 newly 

 arrived white soldiers in good health, on three occasions, at eight-month 

 intervals, and found a progressive decrease in the polymorphonuclears 

 (64.4 per cent, 60.4 per cent, 54.8 per cent) and a steady increase in the 

 small lymphocytes (21.8 per cent, 26.6 per cent, 33.3 per cent) and 

 eosinophils (4.1 per cent, 4.4 per cent, 5.1 per cent). That this con- 

 dition of lymphocyte increase is not the direct result of helminthiasis is 

 shown by the results of differential counts on 100 soldiers in Xew Or- 

 leans, Louisiana, 60 of 1 whom had uncinariasis. In this series the poly- 

 morphonuclear neutrophiles were slightly diminished, 5? per cent, but 

 this could be accounted for by the eosinophilia of 8.5 per cent. The 

 lymphocytes were not above normal, averaging 27 per cent for the entire 

 100 men and 26.3 per cent for the 60 infected with uncinaria.( 6 ) 



During the experiments and observations with orange-red underwear, 

 recently conducted by this Board, 445 differential leucocyte counts were 

 made during a year on 115 healthy soldiers, the averages for the group 

 being polymorphonuclear neutrophiles 56.3 per cent, small lymphocytes 

 34.7 per cent, large mononuclears 5.4 per cent, eosinophiles 2.S per cent, 

 mast cells 0.7 per cent. All of these men had been one or more years in 

 the Philippines and show deviations from the normal, in the direction 

 of lymphocyte increase and polymorphonuclear decrease, similar to those 

 which developed in Captain Wickline's series. Neither in this work nor 

 in Captain Wickline's observations was there found any abnormality in 

 the .absolute number of leucocytes per cubic millimeter of blood. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



(1) The Igorots are an industrious, well-developed and vigorous 

 people, living in a climate comparatively temperate. 



(2) Ninety-two and one-half per cent of 119 adult males examined 

 showed ova of some intestinal worm in the stools. 



(3) The infection rate with uncinaria among adult males was 29 per 

 cent, which is probably higher than the average for the same class among 

 the lowland Filipinos. 



(4) The hookworm rate for children is lower, about 18 per cent. 



(5) Malaria and filariasis are infrequent or absent. 



(6) The blood shows a chronic condition of increased percentage of 

 eosinophiles and small lymphocytes with diminished percentage of 

 polymorphonuclear neutrophiles. 



(7) The increase of lymphocytes and diminution of polymorpho- 

 nuclears seems to be dependent on tropical conditions and will develop in 

 white men living in the Philippines. 



