on the Corpuscles of the Blood. 301 



to the action of neighbouring cilia. A corpuscle will sometimes as- 

 sume the figure of an hour-glass, as if it were preparing to divide 

 itself into two parts, but it instantaneously either regains its previ- 

 ous form, or assumes a new one. These motions are incessant, and 

 so rapid, that it is not easy to catch and delineate any of the result- 

 ing forms ; they are compared to the writhings of an animal in pain. 

 The author has seen them in a rabbit, as late as two hours and a half 

 after death, and thinks it probable that they may continue for a 

 longer time, although, when under the microscope, they gradually 

 and in a short time cease ; the rapid changes of form, which are at 

 first apparent, passing into gentle undulations, and being succeeded 

 by an alternation of rest and motion*. 



Should these facts be thought to confirm the opinion of John 

 Hunter, that the blood "has life within itself," or "acquires it in 

 the act of forming organic bodies," because its corpuscles in certain 

 states exhibit " vital actions," still his assertion that " the red glo- 

 bules" are the least important part of the blood, will appear to have 

 no just foundation. 



The author finds that the phenomena attending what is called 

 "vital turgescence" of the blood-vessels, depend not merely on an 

 accumulation and stagnation of blood, but on changes in the condi- 

 tion of its corpuscles, which assume a more or less globular, or ellip- 

 tical appearance resembling cells. Their interior is dark, from a 

 great increase of red colouring matter which accumulates around a 

 pellucid and colourless point, corresponding in situation to that of 

 the central part of nuclei in other cases ; and so completely do the 

 corpuscles fill their vessels, that the fluid portion of the blood is ex- 

 cluded, and the corpuscles are compressed into polyhedral forms. 

 This condition of the blood-corpuscles during vital turgescence of 

 the vessels, the author thinks deserving of consideration, in connexion 

 with many of the phenomena attending local accumulations of blood, 

 both in health and in disease ; and more especially with reference to 

 increased pulsation, the exudation of colourless fluid, and the heat 

 and redness of inflamed parts. 



According to the views of the author, the formation and nourish- 

 ment of organs is not effected merely by the fluid portion of the 

 blood, for he has discovered that the cells which he showed in his 

 "Third Series of Researches in Embryology f " form the chorion, are 

 altered blood- corpuscles ; and he has farther found that muscular 

 fibre (that is, the future muscle- cylinder, not the fibril) is formed 

 by the coalescence of cells, which also are derived from corpuscles 

 of the blood. He has seen and figured every stage of transition, 

 from the unaltered blood- corpuscle to the branched cells forming 

 the chorion, on the one hand, and to the elliptical or oblong mus- 

 cle-cells, on the other. The colour is not changed, except that the 

 blood-corpuscles, when passing into cells for the formation of mus- 



* [See a note on this subject by Dr. Barry, p. 157 of the present 

 volume. — Edit.] 

 t [See Lond. and Ed. Phil. Mag. vol. xvi. p. 526.— Edit.] 



