158 - Cc. J. MARTIN. 
The animals used were dogs and in all cases the number of the 
red corpuscles was diminished. The diminution commenced 
directly the poison reached the circulation, and progressed to such 
an extent that in some cases the number of the red cells was 
reduced within a few hours to less than one half of that originally 
present. 
As regards the leucocytes, I expected to obtain evidence of some : 
degree of leucocytopenia immediately following the injection of 
the poison, and preceding the onset of the leucocytosis which had 
‘been observed in the later stages of poisoning. I was surprised — 
however to find that when the venom was introduced directly 
into the circulation a great decrease in the number leucocytes, 
amounting in many cases almost to their complete disappearant 
-occurred immediately after the injection. This disappearance of 
‘the leucocytes from the circulating blood was, however, only 
temporary, and, in a time varying from one-half to five hours, 
their number in samples of blood slowly increased until it reached | 
and often far exceeded the quantity originally present. I have 
always observed this extensive diminution in the number of the 
leucocytes in those cases where the poison was introduced directly 
into the circulation. - 
Such a sudden disappearance of leucocytes from the circulation : 
is not, however, peculiar to snake venom. A precisely similar 
result has been observed to follow the intravenous injection 
peptone (albumoses), and Sampson Himmelstjerna,’ 4 pupil of se 
Alexander Schmidt, attributed the diminished coagulability 
peptone blood to this absence of leucocytes. Lowit? and Wrigh e 
have also drawn attention to the same fact. Both of these authors 
were of opinion that the diminution of leucocytes was tot 
-accounted for by active leucolysis. Leucocytes are, however, no 
-disintegrated in vitro by solutions of venom or of peptone of much 
greater concentration than they would ever encounter in the OF 
ae 
-cumstances under which these bodies were injected into the vel” 2 
* Inaug. Diss. Dorpat., 1882. 
? Stud. zur Physiol. u Path. des Blutes, Jena, 1892. ws 
3 Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond., Vol. u11., 1893. 
