National Republican., 1883-04-11
THE MICROSCOPIC.
What Prof Taylor Has Discovered as Go
the CorptscIes OF the BLOOD.

Prof. Thomas Taylor, the microscopist Of
the Agricultural department. was found in
his Office yesterday surrounded by all the par
aphernalia Of his work. There were micro
scopes to the right of him, microscopes to the
left of him, and an especially fine one which
cost 81 900, to the rear Of him. There were
many other kinds of apparatus whose nature
and use were only vaguely recognized by the
reporter. There was any number of speci-
mems to be examined, carefully put away in
order And the eminent microscopic himself
sat before an instrument which he spoke of
with tenderness and handled with care" an
instrument with which he had made many of
his most important discoveries.
" Professor" said the reporter. at has been
published that you have made the important
discovery that the red corpuscles of human
blood vary in size materially. viii you give
me full particulars of your discovery"
" would not call IL a discovery just yet"
said the professor, with the prOverbial caution
of the Scotchman and the desire for accuracy
of the scientist. / have had blood from the
hand of one person under the microscope and
found that the red corpuscles in IL did vary
greatly. ] wouldn't be willing to herald It
as discovery until have made another ex-
pertinent If the results of the latter are the
same as those of the former l shall call IL
discovery"
Tell me all about it," urged the reporter.
well then" began the professor. the
blood of man up to about two years ago was
characterized by having two kinds of cor
puscles, the white and the red. The latter
are much more numerous than the former,
and of smaller size. Heretofore they have
been believed invarabe in size. The white
corpuscles are large or small, or both, in the
same individuals. In my blood, for example,
the white corpuscles are large. A distn-
guished medical man Of this district has them
small. l use the words large or small COM
paratively The smallest white corpuscle is
larger than the red. About two years ago
| the discovery was made of third corpusce
in the blood neither white nor red, named
.from the difficulty with which it is seen the
invisible corpusce."
"What is its nature?" interrupted the re-
porter.
Experiments are still going on to deter
mine that question:" was the reply. az be-
| lieve nothing has been coniectured as to its
| constituent elements. 1t is very minute, and
| can hardly be seen except by being treated
with anilne. The blue tinge is the best. l
have been unable to detect its presence when
others have seen it, but upon repeated trials
have been rewarded with a glimpse of the
| little stranger"
"Does it exist in the blood of other ami
mals2"
81 cannot answer that do not think any
| experiments N that direction have been
made"
"But these other corpuscles you have lately
found, professor|
"Those other corpuscles, as you call them,
are various sizes of one corpusce, the red.
Some time ago young man from Capitol hill
came to see me, and got from his finger a
drop of blood. This put under the micro
scope. was astonished to find that instead
of presenting uniformity of size the red cor
puscles varied widely. There were FIVE or six
different sizes. In this one case there could
be no mistake. The variations were too many
and great to be mistaken. Besides called
| in Others to witness them, as / always do when
1 have discovered something out of the usual
order of things. l shall shortly repeat the
experiment."
"If you verify the former experiment
would you call the discovery an important
one"
| Eyes"
"What effect on practical life will it have
If verifed?"
at will render impossible any test as to
distinguishing the blood of man from that
of certain other animals, the horse, dog, OK,
and other mammalia. Besides, all discoveries,
ultimately have great effect upon thought
and upon the institutions of thought-efects
| that frequently cannot be imagined"