248 TEXAS FEVER 



trated from actual cases three of which are taken from the 

 report bj- Smith and Kilborne. 



As evidence of the diminution of the number of corpus- 

 cles within tlie body tliese atithors point (^ i ) to the loss of 

 hemoglobin through the kidneys, (2) the over production of 

 bile which is abnormal in the abundance of pigment and (3) to 

 the actual observation of their destruction by the micro-parasite 

 under the microscope. 



The regeneration of blood corpuscles is indicated perhaps 

 by the count, but more surely by the form of the corpuscles 

 themselves. The abnormal forms are the ver3'' large corpus- 

 cles, "punctate" forms and lastly the diffuse stained or 

 "tinted" forms and the hematoblasts. The first of these 

 maj' appear when the blood count reaches 3,000,000 and the 

 other forms when it is still lower. These various forms, how- 

 ever, are probably embryonic or immature corpuscles, which 

 are forced preraatureh' into the circulation by the blood pro- 

 ducing organs in trying to overcome the rapid destruction of 

 corpuscles by the parasite. The action of the disease upon 

 the leucocytes or the defensive activities of the white corpuscles 

 in combating the parasite of Texas fever have not been deter- 

 mined. In the work thus far performed and reported, they 

 have received little attention. Suffice it to .say that they have 

 not been in evidence in this conflict and probably take little or 

 no part in the morbid changes of Texas fever. 



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