Further observations on the variations in the number of leucocytes and crescents in malaria / by David Thomson.

  • Thomson, D. (David)
Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Further observations on the variations in the number of leucocytes and crescents in malaria / by David Thomson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/12 page 218
    occasion the latter number caused a slight rigor, but no increase of temperature. During a malarial paroxysm there is as a rule an accompanying leucopenia; some observers, however (Stephens and Christophers, 1908), have described a transient leucocytosis lasting about twenty minutes just at the very commencement of the rigor. I have noticed this on two occasions only, and think that it may be explained by the supposition that a very few parasites sporulate before the majority of them, and these few cause the temporary leucocytosis, which soon becomes a leucopenia when the majority sporulate. In cases of comatose malaria (malig. tert.) one frequently finds a marked leucocytosis during the fever paroxysm. I am quite unable to explain this exception. Recently I observed a leuco- cytosis of 80,000 per c.mm. in a case of uncomplicated comatose malaria four hours before death.* (b) FURTHER REMARKS A. Scherschmidt (1912) has partially confirmed the occurrence of a periodic post-malarial leucocytosis in nine out of twenty-three cases of malaria, or only in about one-third. His work has evidently been very thorough, as he took blood counts almost continuously at intervals of one hour, but in the majority of his twenty-three cases these were taken between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and only on a few isolated days did he examine as late as 8 p.m. He therefore only observed the leucocytes during a six-hours period of the day. I feel sure that he would have got better results by examining the blood as I stated, every four to six hours. I examined the blood of my cases at such intervals between IO a.m. and 12 midnight, that is to say, I examined over a fourteen-hour period of the day as against the six-hour period of Scherschmidt. On the first day of observation one should make a blood count at, say, 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m., and 12 midnight. Next day make counts at 9 a.m., 12 mid-day, 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. By varying the times daily in this way, one hits upon the time at which the leucocytosis occurs. When this is found, three counts daily should enable one to bring out the variation on subsequent days. I think * The post mortem did not reveal any complication.
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image