/ HE
PRACTICAL
VALUE
{/
OF
BLOOD-COUNTS.
BY
William
Gordon, M.A.,
Physician
to
M.D.
the Devon and Exeter
Cantab.,
Hospital.
importance of recent work on blood-counts, and the rather fragmentary information afforded by all except special works, are my excuse for bringing before you a-.paper which makes no claim to originality, and whose sole object is to outline the present state of the subject as briefly and clearly as I can. The
I would restrict what I have to say to the changes in the numbers and appearances of the blood-corpuscles themselves, leaving out of account those parasites which may inhabit
them
or
names
plasma between them; I would omit all authorities, as tending to interfere with simplicity of
exist in the
of
statement; also all points at present under dispute, obscure the definiteness of facts already established; all those details of methods which from
can
as
apt
to
as
well
as
be
text-books like Clifford Allbutt's
sufficiently gathered System of Medicine, or
Allchin's Manual, merely reminding you that these methods consist in:? I. The examination of fresh blood under the II. The enumeration of red
and
white
microscope.
corpuscles by
the
liaemocytometer. III. The
estimation
globinometer.
of
the
hemoglobin by
the
haemo-
THE
ON
PRACTICAL
VALUE
OF
IV. The examination of dried blood-films
eosin and
blue.
methylene
remember that eosin is basic
stain,
oxyphile, basophile.
so
an
(It
acid and
blue-stained
structures
staining with polychromatophile.) far
as
as
say, with
are
to
blue
methylene
Structures
violet, are called Lastly, I would omit,
a
termed termed
are
both colours,
i.e.,
possible, everything which
practical application. Before describing what is pathological, remind ourselves of what is physiological.
has at present
stained,
will be necessary
that red-stained structures
and
235
BLOOD-COUNTS.
no
it will be well
to
CONDITIONS.
NORMAL
The Red
Corpuscles.
In health the red
corpuscles number about five millions per cm. in the adult male, and about four and a half millions in the adult female. At birth they exceed these numbers, nearly amounting to six millions, but the excess vanishes in about a week. 75 per cent, of the red corpuscles measure 7.5 /
PRACTICAL
VALUE
{/
OF
BLOOD-COUNTS.
BY
William
Gordon, M.A.,
Physician
to
M.D.
the Devon and Exeter
Cantab.,
Hospital.
importance of recent work on blood-counts, and the rather fragmentary information afforded by all except special works, are my excuse for bringing before you a-.paper which makes no claim to originality, and whose sole object is to outline the present state of the subject as briefly and clearly as I can. The
I would restrict what I have to say to the changes in the numbers and appearances of the blood-corpuscles themselves, leaving out of account those parasites which may inhabit
them
or
names
plasma between them; I would omit all authorities, as tending to interfere with simplicity of
exist in the
of
statement; also all points at present under dispute, obscure the definiteness of facts already established; all those details of methods which from
can
as
apt
to
as
well
as
be
text-books like Clifford Allbutt's
sufficiently gathered System of Medicine, or
Allchin's Manual, merely reminding you that these methods consist in:? I. The examination of fresh blood under the II. The enumeration of red
and
white
microscope.
corpuscles by
the
liaemocytometer. III. The
estimation
globinometer.
of
the
hemoglobin by
the
haemo-
THE
ON
PRACTICAL
VALUE
OF
IV. The examination of dried blood-films
eosin and
blue.
methylene
remember that eosin is basic
stain,
oxyphile, basophile.
so
an
(It
acid and
blue-stained
structures
staining with polychromatophile.) far
as
as
say, with
are
to
blue
methylene
Structures
violet, are called Lastly, I would omit,
a
termed termed
are
both colours,
i.e.,
possible, everything which
practical application. Before describing what is pathological, remind ourselves of what is physiological.
has at present
stained,
will be necessary
that red-stained structures
and
235
BLOOD-COUNTS.
no
it will be well
to
CONDITIONS.
NORMAL
The Red
Corpuscles.
In health the red
corpuscles number about five millions per cm. in the adult male, and about four and a half millions in the adult female. At birth they exceed these numbers, nearly amounting to six millions, but the excess vanishes in about a week. 75 per cent, of the red corpuscles measure 7.5 /
