416 Mr. L. C. Wooldridge. Relation of White [June 16, 



In short, by no means conld the presence of a coagulable substance — ■ 

 fibrinogen — in the plasma be demonstrated. 

 It behaved as follows towards cells : — 



To 20 cnb. centims. plasma a very small quantity of lymph cells 

 were added. Two minutes afterwards it coagulated, but only imper- 

 fectly. The coagulum contracted rapidly. The serum which exuded 

 was divided into two portions, to one a large quantity of lymph cells 

 were added ; very complete coagulation occurred in two or three 

 minutes. The other portion showed not the slightest sign of coagu- 

 lation for the twenty-four hours it was under observation. 



Thia process was repeated four times ; ultimately, the plasma lost the 

 property of changing the cells into fibrin. 



low, I say the plasma changes the cells into fibrin., and I base tLis. 

 statement on the following facts, in addition to those already men- 

 tioned : — 



1. The weight of the coagulum found is identical, that is, as nearly 

 so as can be in such determinations, with the weight of cells which 

 have been added. 



2. The percentage of albumens in peptone plasma before coagulation 

 with cells is identical with the percentage after coagulation with cells. 



3. The protoplasm of the cells has completely disappeared and has 

 been converted into a partly fibrous, partly granular, ground substance 

 the nuclei remain. 



4. If to a very large quantity of suspended cells, say 50 cub. 

 centims., a very small quantity (1 cub. centim.) peptone plasma be 

 added, the whole clots firmly. The microscope shows that the cell- 

 body has disappeared. 



These facts suffice to show that the plasma converts the cells into 

 fibrin, and that this conversion is independent of the presence of a 

 coagulable substance (fibrinogen) in the plasma. 



But this is not all. I have already referred to the fact that a spon- 

 taneous coagulation occurs in peptone plasma on standing, and that 

 this can be accelerated by dilution with water, or by passing a current 

 of carbonic acid through it. Solutions of the fibrin ferment also 

 bring it about, but nob very much more rapidly than mere dilution. 



In some cases, the coagulation which can be induced by these means 

 is very complete, in others it is very scanty. The case I have 

 described at length was one of the latter. 



In other cases, the coagulation is very complete, a firm dense clot is 

 formed by the means adopted. Now, on adding cells to such a plasma, 

 not only are they converted into fibrin, but they induce the coagula- 

 tion of the existing fibrinogen in the plasma. 



I may here remark, that I have failed to find any ground whatever 

 for the assumption that paraglobulin arises from lymph corpuscles. 



In the destruction of the lymph cells by salt solutions the only pro- 



