Color of the Red Blood Corpuscles. 157 



and &2 must also be present in the solution. For pure oxyhemo- 

 globin ki = 19.36 and k 2 = 11.66. As concentration grams in 

 ioo c.c. is used. The blood was taken in all cases from an arm 

 vein and immediately defibrinated. Table I gives the result of 

 determinations made chiefly on individuals in apparent good 

 health and on patients with pernicious anemia. 



table I. 



Normal Blood. 





Specific 

 gravity. 



Sahli 

 reading. 



Ery- 

 thro- 

 cytes. 



Millions 

 per 



cu.mm. 



log / 

 J l 



Hemoglo- 

 bin content 



of blood. 

 Grams per 

 100 c.c. 



Quantity of 

 hemoglobin 

 in average 

 erythrocyte. 

 Grams 

 X 10-". 



Color 

 index. 



Men, 1 



2 

 3 

 4 



5 

 6 

 7 



1057 

 1-055 

 I.062 

 1. 061 

 I.056 

 1.066 

 I.060 



95 

 77 



100 

 97 

 87 



105 

 93 



4.29 

 4.19 



5-19 

 5-46 



4- 57 



5- 79 

 4-74 



1.66 

 1.65 

 1.67 

 1.68 

 1.64 

 1.65 

 1.65 



15-4 



14- 3 

 17.4 

 17.8 



15- 3 

 19-3 

 16.9 



3-6 

 3-4 

 3-2 

 3-3 

 3-4 

 3-3 

 3-6 



I.I 



1.0 



0.9 



1.0 



r.o 

 1.0 

 1.1 



Averages 



I.059 



93 



4.92 



1.66 



16.6 



3-4 



1.0 



Women, I 

 2 

 3 

 4 



5 

 6 



1-057 

 1.058 

 1.053 

 1. 061 

 1055 

 1.056 



83 

 88 

 77 

 97 

 85 

 90 



4.42 

 5-ii 

 4-44 

 5" 

 4.46 



4-95 



1.64 

 1.64 

 1.67 

 1.64 

 1.64 

 1.65 



15-8 

 15.6 

 13-7 

 17.0 

 13-7 

 152 



3-6 

 3-1 

 3-1 

 33 

 3-1 

 3-1 



I.I 

 r.o 

 1.0 

 1.0 

 1.0 



1.0 



Averages 



1-057 



87 



4-75 



1.6s 



15-2 



3-2 



1.0 



Pathological Cases. 



Pernicious anemia I . . . . 



1.040 



21 



0-74 



1. 65 



3-47 



4-7 



1-5 



Pernicious anemia II.. . . 



1-035 



23 



0.87 



1.6s 



3-79 



4.4 



1.3 



Secondary anemia 







2-43 



1.63 



5-59 



2-3 



0.7 



Polycythemia 



1-075 







1.66 



23-9 







It will be seen first that the average hemoglobin content of 

 defibrinated normal blood is considerably higher than the orthodox 

 14 grams in 100 c.c. Secondly, the value for the amount of 

 hemoglobin per corpuscle in normal blood is remarkably constant. 

 This may be taken as a measure of the color index, and the color 

 index may be conveniently defined as the quantity of hemoglobin 

 per corpuscle multiplied by that factor which renders the quantity 

 of hemoglobin per normal corpuscle = 1. In pernicious anemia 



