Cholesterin. 



8 i 



worms was a cholesterinester present in greatest proportion as 

 cholesterin oleate. He found that a synthetic cholesterin oleate 

 did not have such active hemolyzing properties as the extracts 

 from the worm, but on his general findings he believed that this 

 substance was the cause of the anemia and suggested the possi- 

 bility of other anemias arising through the action of similar sub- 

 stances. Since this time cholesterin in various forms has been 

 used to a considerable extent for other experimental purposes. 

 In some of these experiments the materials were fed to animals 

 while in others they were introduced by inoculation. Depending 

 upon the dosage there was a variable increase in the cholesterin 

 content of the blood. This cholesterin was present in combination 

 with fats or lipoids. Even with the development of a continued 

 hypercholesterinemia amounting to several times the normal 

 blood content, none of the authors have remarked upon the pro- 

 duction of a progressive anemia. In our own feeding experiments 

 no anemia was apparent, although the cholesterin of the blood 

 was often very high. 



Recently we have studied the effect of the direct introduction 

 of cholesterin combinations into the blood. An emulsion of a 

 cholesterin combination with sodium oleate, containing 7.5 per 

 cent, of cholesterin and 5 per cent, of sodium oleate, was used. 

 The cholesterin in these materials forms a combination with sodium 

 oleate so that colloid globules remain in suspension and are readily 

 introduced into the circulation of animals. The cholesterin in 

 this form does not give rise to a foreign body reaction as when the 

 pure cholesterin is used. Furthermore, this mixture does not 

 show the active hemolysis in the test tube, as is demonstrated by 

 the same quantities of sodium oleate. 



Two rabbits were treated every second day by intravenous 

 inoculation of 2 c.c. of the emulsion for a period of two weeks, 

 while a third received from ^ to 1 c.c. during a similar period. 

 Counts were made prior to the initial inoculation to determine the 

 normal for each animal. Counts were also continued for ten days 

 after the last treatment. In none of the animals were we able to 

 observe any effect of the inoculated material upon the red blood 

 cells. In the normal rabbit we have found a fluctuation between 

 six and seven and a half million red cells and at no time in the ex- 



