A STUDY OF THE NORMAL BLOOD OF THE CARABAO ^ 



By William Hutchins Boynton 

 (From the Veterinary Division,^ Bureau of Agriculture, Manila, P. I.) 



The following study was undertaken with the object of ascer- 

 taining the normal condition of the circulating blood of the 

 carabao, so that one desiring to make a clinical examination of 

 the blood might have a standard for comparison. 



In searching the literature on the subject at my disposal, 

 I have not been able to find any previous work done on the 

 blood of carabao, which circumstance necessitated a systematic 

 study of a large number of healthy animals. 



The twenty-five animals used were in apparently normal con- 

 dition. Their temperatures were taken twice a day, several 

 weeks before the examinations were made. The animals aver- 

 aged from two and one-half to 6 years of age. Some were work 

 animals used at the laboratory, and had been immunized to 

 rinderpest from six months to two years previous to the time 

 of examination. The majority were susceptible to rinderpest 

 and were kept at the laboratory for experimental purposes. 



The blood was obtained in all cases from the ear. The part 

 was first thoroughly cleaned with water, then dried with alcohol, 

 and one of the small veins on the outer side of the lobe was 

 pricked with a sharp-pointed scalpel. 



The red corpuscles were counted by means of Thoma's haema- 

 tocytometer, using Toisson's diluting fluid. The corpuscles in 

 100 squares in each of 2 slides were counted. If these counts 

 did not agree closely, a third preparation was made, and the 

 results of the three were averaged. The leucocytes were counted 

 in the same preparation as the red cells, the counting chamber 

 used having the Zappert-Ewing ruling. The percentage of 

 haemoglobin was obtained by means of the Tallquist haemoglo- 

 bin scale, as no other apparatus was available. The specific 

 gravity was obtained by Hammerschlag's method. The time of 

 coagulation was obtained by Wright's method. The relative vol- 

 ume of corpuscles and of plasma was obtained by the haematocrit 

 as modified by Daland. This was placed in a centrifuge, and re- 

 volved at a speed of approximately 3,000 revolutions per minute 

 for three minutes. Films were made on glass slides, and fixed 



' Reprinted from Bulletin 21, Bureau of Agriculture of the Government 

 of the Philippine Islands. 

 ' Archibald R. Ward, chief. 



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