The Red Globules : Erythrocytes. 513 



Deadly parasitisms, whether of the lungs (strongylosis), 

 bowels (strongylus, sclerostoma, uncinaria, etc.), or liver (disto- 

 matosis), have the same effect. 



Aspiration of a large ascitic collection causes, in 24 hours, a large 

 relative encrease of red globules (3.280.000 to 5.160.000) 

 (I^imbeck, Stiinzung, Gumprecht). 



The following agents, introduced intravenously, encreased se- 

 cretion of lymph, rendering the blood dense and the red globules 

 relatively more numerous : extract of cancer, pepton, tuberculin, 

 hyoscyamus, pneumoccoccus, hemialbumoses, nuclein, uric acid 

 (Heidenhain, I,owit, Gartner, Romer). 



Emotions have been found to decrease by dilution the number 

 of red cells in a specimen of blood drawn from the skin. The 

 distension of the capillaries in blushing acts in this way. Also 

 the capillary congestion caused by section of the spinal cord 

 above the origin of the splanchnic nerve (Cohnstein, Zunz) . The 

 same followed the distension of the capillaries by a warm bath 

 (Ewing). Conversely a cold bath, constricting the cutaneous 

 capillaries, encreased the relative number of red cells. Cohnstein 

 and Zunz held that it was due to the contracted capillaries holding 

 the globules back. 



In chronic stasis in the vessels from insufficiency of the cardiac 

 valves, cyanosis, dropsy, and other causes, a marked polycythe- 

 mia is established (Oertes, Grawitz, Peiper). A moderate 

 encrease under illuminating gas poisoning is referred to stasis 

 (Ewing). 



Severe vomiting, as in phosphorus poisoning, may cause en- 

 crease of the red cells to nearly double their former number 

 (Taussig, V. Jaksch, Limbeck) . 



The new born have polycythemia in ratio with the cyanosis 

 (Ewing). 



Altitude determines polycythemia (from 5.000.000 to 8.000.000 

 in man and animals) (Viault, Egger, Koppe, Wolff), which 

 slowly diminishes after two weeks (Campbell, Hoagland, 

 Ewing). 



Ether anaesthesia in man was attended by an increase of 149,000 

 (DaCosta, Kalteyer). Chloroform anaesthesia for an hour and a 

 half, by an increase of 2,803,000. With severe haemorrhage 

 added there was a rise of 2,965,000, and in another case 3,082,000 



33 



