4 
Polychromasia. —The condition of normal and 
nucleated red cells in which the protoplasm, which 
normally is acidophil (e.g., stains with eosin), becomes 
to a greater or less extent basophil, i.e., stains more or 
less deeply with a basic stain, e.g., methylene blue, so 
that if stained with eosin and methylene blue the colour 
of the red cell would be uniformly purplish. Seen in 
anaemia, e.g., of blackwater fever, and is very common in 
almost any form of trypanosomiasis. It is an indication 
of regeneration or degeneration of the red cell or both. 
Basophilia. —The red cells are sprinkled over with 
fine (bluish) basophil granules, e.g., with Romanowsky 
or methylene blue. They are the ‘ primitive granules ’ 
of Plehn. They are of the same significance as the 
former condition and they may occur together in the 
same cell, but this is not common. They are seen not 
uncommonly in malignant tertian malaria, and occur in 
cells in which there is no parasite. The ‘stippling’ of 
infected cells (p. 32) is very similar but is in this case 
directly due to the parasite. If these two last con¬ 
ditions are being studied, and this should be done 
especially in blackwater fever, methylene blue alone is 
one of the best stains. Use a quarter per cent, watery 
methylene blue and stain for half a minute. They are 
also shewn by all the other ordinary stains except 
Ehrlich’s triacid. 
Normal Leucocytes 
Polymorphonuclear leucocyte. —io-i2yu,. # Also called 
the neutrophil leucocyte because the granules stain (a 
* It is very important to remember that the size of leucocytes and the depth 
of colour of their nuclei vary according as the leucocytes have been much or not at 
all flattened in the making of the films. 
