O. V. Huf FMAN 
459 
wet preparations of blood and spleen pnip containing many Kurloff- 
bodies of all sizes were kept under observation for more than a month 
without noting any development or change in the Kurloff-bodies. The 
warm stage and incubator were used to preserve some of them at the 
same temperature as that of the guinea-pig. 
As Kurloff observed through very elaborate studies extending over 
several years that the large mononuclear leucocytes were not affected 
by splenectomy I made no effort to repeat his experiments. 
The stained preparations were made from fresh blood, spleen pulp, 
and from the sealed specimens which had been under observation. 
Various methods of fixation were tried, Schaudinn’s, warm formalin 
vapour, ether, acids, osmic acid vapour, etc. The ordinary dry blood film 
fixed by methyl alcohol, dried, and stained by Giemsa gives the most 
uniform results; the Kurloflf-body being stained a lighter shade of 
purple than the nucleus of the mononuclear leucocyte. If the methyl 
alcohol is applied to the blood before it has dried or if the Giemsa 
solution is applied before the methyl alcohol has entirely evaporated, 
the Kurloff-body may appear as a sac containing precipitated stain. If 
fixed with ether the Kurloff-body appears more homogeneous and stains 
more nearly red. The smallest bodies occur as azurophilic granules, 
one or more in the protoplasm of the mononuclear leucocyte and 
suggest an Anaplasma-like. body. The bodies larger than a granule 
are stained a purplish colour; several may occur in one leucoc3'te and 
they may indent the nucleus. The most common form is about equal 
to the nucleus in size and is frequently associated with two or more 
small vacuoles in the protoplasm of the leucocyte. A distinct non- 
stained wall to the Kurloff-body may be evident especially when the 
body is smaller than the nucleus. 
The fact that Kurloff-bodies occur in greater quantity in female 
guinea-pigs than in male caused me to make a complete study of the 
generative organs and their secretions but no parasites could be dis¬ 
covered. 
So far all investigation had been based upon the assumption that 
the Kurloff-body is a phase of an homoic parasite. As the ecto-parasites 
had never been given any consideration as possible transmitters of the 
supposed Kurloff-body parasite, I took as a working hypothesis that the 
Kurloff-body is an heteroic parasite. It was rather disquieting to begin 
with to find that very lousy or flea infested guinea-pigs did not present 
more Kurloff-bodies in their blood than the less lousy or less flea 
infested. As I progressed in tlie work I soon found that Kurloff-bodies 
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