356 Dr. A. du Pre Denning and Mr. J. H. Watson. [May 7, 



that it rises with the number of the corpuscles present, the temperatures 

 being almost identical. Hirsch and Beck, using much larger quantities of 

 blood however, found with their viscosimeter that the time required by the 

 blood of normal individuals to pass the tube varied to the extent of only 2 

 of seconds and concluded that the average viscosity might be put down as 

 five times that of water. 



As indicating the influence of the number of corpuscles upon the viscosity 

 values we give the subjoined tables ; in the one (Table IX) is shown the effect 

 of a diminution of the number of red cells and in the other (Table X) the effect 

 of an increase. 



Table IX. — Viscosity Values in Three Cases of Marked Chlorosis. 





Temperature. 



Pulse. 



Respiration. 



Blood count. 



Viscosity values. 



I 



o 



98 -0 



94 



24 



2x 10 6 



2-14 



II 



97-6 



96 



26 



3 x 10 s 



3-4 



III 



97-8 



100 



26 



3x 10 6 



3-6 



Table X. — A 7 iscosity Values in Polycythemia. 





Blood count. 



Viscosity, values. 



Observer. 



I 



9 -0 x 10 6 



ii-5 



F. Parkes Weber* 



II 



9 -0 x 10 6 



11 -8 



F. Parkes Weber 



III 



6 -0 x 10 6 



6-5 



P. Parkes Weber 



IV 



8 -3 x 10 6 



9 -4 



J. H. Watson 



With regard to the influence of an increase in the number of white cells 

 we may quote the following observations made in the wards upon a patient 

 suffering from advanced spleno-medullary leucocythaemia, having a blood 

 count of 2 - 4 million red and 76,000 white corpuscles with a temperature of 

 98° F. ; we obtained a viscosity value of 5 - 6 times that of water. Here we 

 have an apparently normal viscosity value, but if we consider the decided 

 falling off in the number of reds, and knowing that from that cause alone there 

 ought to be a great lowering, we are justified in assuming that the mainten- 

 ance of this high value is dependent in part at least upon the presence of the 

 excessive number of the larger leucocytes. 



The above instances have been quoted as simple illustrations of the 

 nfluence that changes either in the blood, whether physical or chemical, or 



* F. Parkes Weber, ' Brit. Med. Jour.,' January, 1906, p. 82. 



