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Scientific Proceedings (132) 



229 (2189) 



The relation between the chylomicrons (free granules) and 

 the lipoid content of the blood. 



By ARTHUR KNUDSON and \V. K. GRIGG. 



[From the Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Union University 

 Medical Department, Albany Medical College, Albany, New York.] 



When blood is examined under a dark field microscope nu- 

 merous small brilliant dancing particles are visible which are 

 invisible under the bright field microscope. These particles have 

 been called by various investigators elementary particles or 

 granules, free granules, blood dust, fat dust, hemaconia, and 

 ultra or micro particles. Recently, Gage 1 and Gage and Fish 2, 3 

 have made an extended study of these ultra particles or free 

 granules and they have shown conclusively that the appearance 

 of numerous free granules in the blood is dependent upon the 

 fatty portion of the diet. Carbohydrate or protein diets in man 

 cause no increase in the number of these particles in the blood 

 but if fat is mixed with the diet or taken alone there is a marked 

 increase under normal conditions. Since these granules appear 

 in the blood after ingestion of fat Gage and Fish 2 believe that 

 they must get into the blood by means of the chyle vessels and 

 the thoracic duct and suggest the term chylomicrons (micro- 

 scopic bodies from chyle) to designate these particles. 



Gage and Fish 2 have devised a method by which these chylo- 

 microns can be counted and estimations made as to their amount 

 present in the blood. Although complete accuracy cannot be 

 claimed in counting these particles, the counts are fairly ac- 

 curate and the blood under various conditions can be conveni- 

 ently studied. Since these chylomicrons have been shown to 

 be dependent upon the fat absorbed from the diet and 

 are therefore probably visible fat particles it was thought 

 that the determination of the chylomicrons by the method of 

 Gage and Fish 2 would give an index of the total amount of fat 

 present. As the method is simple and requires only a small 



1 Gage, S. H., Anat. Rcc, 1920, xviii, 235. 



2 Gage, S. H., and Fish, P. A., Jour. Am. ret. Med. Assn., 1921, lviii, 384. 



3 Gage, S. H., and Fish, P. A., Cornell Veterinarian, 1921, xi, 143. 



