On the corpuscles of the blood / by Martin Barry. Pts. [I]-III.

  • Martin Barry
Date:
1840-1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the corpuscles of the blood / by Martin Barry. Pts. [I]-III. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Sir F. H. E. Stiles opportunities for viewing human blood by means of lenses of the same kind; when the latter communicated to the Society his observations, or rather the observations of Di Torre, as confirmed by himself-f. So little importance is attached, in the present day, to the observations of Di Torre, that in historical accounts of the blood-corpuscles, I believe it is usual to pass them by, as not deser- ving of notice : probably from an idea that his optical instruments were too imperfect. But I shall not hesitate to here transcribe a passage from those observations of Di Torre, although far from vouching for their entire accuracy. 66. “ When,” says the writer, “ any of the globules [blood-corpuscles] happened to move with the serum in the most perfect focus,*** I could with great clearness distinguish the exterior and interior circumference of the ring, of which each globule [corpuscle] consisted; the interior one being bounded by a black line or shade next the perforation, exactly resembling that which bounded the exterior one,***. In such globules [corpuscles] I could easily observe the ring to be articulated, the transverse lines at the joints being very distinguishable. The figures of the articula- tions were various; in some they were roundish, so that the ring appeared like a bead necklace ; in others, cylindrical, and of some length. The number of which the whole was composed, seemed uncertain, varying from two or three to six or seven ; many of the rings were broke, either by some confinement of the talks [talc], or by beating against each other, which I saw them continually do; and by these accidents the joints of the rings were detached, and wandered about separately in great numbers; and indeed they appeared separable with as much ease as if they had been united by mere contact only. Some of the rings were broke into semi- circles, others into greater or less portions, and others again divided into their con- stituent articulations, which in some places floated about single, and in others formed by their mutual attraction a lateral union, like the pipes of an organ. I must observe also, that these separated parts seemed to be hollow and transparent, and like in- flated bladders, would easily yield, and change their figure, stretching or contracting themselves from round to oval and cylindrical, and vice versd, as any lateral pressure in crouding [crowding] them along with the serum brought a constraint upon them. *** Although the articulation was not distinguishable in every globule, I think it was so in the greater part of them ; and it is natural to imagine that the rest were articu- lated likewise, though they might not pass at the proper distance for its being distinguished]:.” 67- Such were the observations placed on record by the Royal Society seventy-six years ago, which I had not read until fig. 23. of the present paper was nearly finished. As already stated, I do not believe they were accurate in all respects. But if the figure just mentioned be again referred to, it will be found that observations made by myself in 1840 and 1841, with an excellent instrument, while they very widely differ from those of late observers, confirm to a degree that is astonishing, some of the f Philosophical Transactions, 1765, p. 252. £ L. c., pp. 254, 255. 2 E 2