The red globule is however seen in two distinct forms. 1st. The biconcave disc, non-nucleated, containing a colorless stroma, and the coloring matter—hæmoglobin. 2d. The embryonic red globule, large, nucleated and rarely biconcave. The latter is found in the blood of the fœtal man or animal and persists to a slight extent for some time after birth. These are believed to be formed from the embryonic cell and from the cells of the embryonic liver, spleen, and marrow, whereas after birth they are derived from the marrow cell, and in healthy conditions pass the nucleated stage before they escape into the blood. In pathological anæmia and after severe hæmorrhages they escape more rapidly, probably from both spleen and marrow, and appear in the blood, even of the adult, of the gigantic size and nucleated appearance of the embryonic red globule.
The white blood globules (leucocytes) are spherical, about twice as large as the red globules, and are readily divisible by the acid eosin stain into two kinds: 1st. Cells which are deeply stained by eosin—eosinophile; and 2d. Cells that do not take on the eosin stain—neutrophile (Ehrlich).
Howells further divides these white globules into uninuclear and multinuclear. Of the uninucleated he describes three varieties: a. The lymphocyte which is non-granular and without amœboid movement; b. The granular cell with a protoplasmic envelope and amœboid movement; and c. The granular with strap-shaped, horseshoe or spiral nucleus. Like Lovet he considers the multinucleated as on the way to disintegration.
We cannot as yet speak with confidence of the pathological significance of these respective forms of white globules, but they increase greatly in numbers in connection with certain diseases of lymph plexus, and glands, of the spleen and other blood glands, and in foci of inflammation, and they perform most important functions in connection with the resistance of microbian invasion and in elaborating the antitoxines which confer immunity from second attacks.
The next form of blood solids are the blood plates of Bizzozero, the hæmatoblasts of Hayem. These are nucleated (Semmer) discoid, less than half the diameter of the red globules, and cluster together in granule masses when the blood is drawn. Their true significance is uncertain though it has been surmised that they are intermediate corpuscles (Semmer), that they are the disintegrated nuclei of the leucocytes, and that they furnish paraglobulin to the circulating blood (Schmidt, Howell).
The liver is one centre for the destruction of red blood globules and in the blood of the hepatic vein there may be a reduction of a million to a million and a half of red globules per cubic centimeter, as compared with the portal vein.
Malassez gives 4,500,000 as the number of globules in a cubic millimeter of blood (dog and horse 7,500,000, Nocard). The white globules are to the red in the proportion of about 1 to 300 (domestic animals 1:800, 1:1100, Nocard). The variation in different parts of the vascular system and at different times of the day is striking and suggestive.
In the blood of the splenic vein 1:60; in the hepatic vein 1:170; in the portal vein 1:740; in the morning, fasting 1:716; half an hour after breakfast, 1:347; in boys 1:226; in girls 1:389; in men 1:346; in old men 1:381; in menstruating woman 1:247; in pregnant woman 1:281, (Stricker).
PLETHORA. POLYÆMIA.
Definition. Transitory only. Causes, kidney disease, drinking freely, rich feeding, profuse secretion, polycythemia, hyperalbuminosa, excess of fibrine, sugar or fat. Ratio of blood to body. Variations of globules. Symptoms, general, local. Appearance of blood. Prevention. Treatment.