The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-10-13

MS Column.
condition is so exact. But there is
another kind Of cell in the blood,
the white cell, which we will dis
cuss today.
My friend, DR.. Russell Haden,
Of Cleveland, says the red blood
cell is the most interesting cell in
the body. think he says this be-
cause the red cell is the only cell
in the body which does not have
nucleus: it IAN never divide and
multiply. And Russell is a kind
hearted gink and the thought of
this poor little cell deprived Of its
natural heritage and never to
have the prospect of raising a
family just draws all his svm-
pathy out for it.
To me the most interesting cell
In the body is the white blood cell.
Our means Of studying it are just
as accurate as those for studying
the red cell. We can count how
many white cells there are in a
given amount Ia cubic millimeter)
of blood. We do it in the same way
and by the same beautifully ruled
microscopic counting chamber I'M
der the microscope as we use for
counting the red cells.
Number of White Cells
And, as in the case of the red
cells which number six million
cells per cubic millimeter, the
white cells in health in young and
old, male and female, remain with
remarkable constancy at about
five thousand per cubic millimeter.
However, they respond far
more delicately than the red cells
to upsets in bodily conditions.
Their other names are the phago-
cytes, or scavengers OF the body,
because their prime duty is to en-
gulf and destroy any invading
germs. In doing this they usually
are destroyed themselves and they
are constantly dying on the barri-
cades and outer defences Of the
body-on the surface of the men,
branes of the nose and mouth and
conjunctiva of the eye and all
along the intestinal tract. The
daily mortality in the entire body
is several million a day and these
have to be replaced, so the manu-
featuring centers Of the white
blood cells-the bone marrow and
the lymph nodes - are kept busy
filling the ranks of the lost bat
talions.
Since these white cells fight in
vasion and infection of the body
by bacteria, whenever a severe in
lection occurs they are increased
in number. And since we can
count them so accurately. and es-
tlmaJe the increase to an accurate
figure, this estimate is of great
diagnostic help in determining
whether an inner concealed infec-
ton is the cause of certain symp-
toms or not. In appendicitis, for
instance, the leucocyte count is Of
great diagnostic value. Also in
pneumonia. The condition of in
creased leucocytes in the circulat-
ing blood is called leucocytosis.
In some infections for reasons
which we do not really understand
at all, there is no increase in the
leucocytes-no leucocyte response.
Notable in this group is typhoid
fever and our more frequent mod
ern equivalent for it - undulant
fever. Also measles. A reason COM
monty advanced for this is that in
these diseases there is no pus for
nation and a leucocytosis means
pus, or pus infection. But in refu-
tation some of the highest leuco-
cyte counts we get are often found
in whooping cough when it may
90 to 100000. And whooping
cough is not pus former.
Another set Of diseases ir which
the white cell count goes very high
are the leukemias. These are dis
eases Of the blood forming tissues
the bone marrow, or the lymph
nodes. They are treated by treat
ing the marrow or nodes with K
ray and by administering arsenic.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
F. NJ. L.: What is meant by
goiter kicking back" after a goit
er operation two years ago? !
An yer: Goiter operations do
not remove ali the thyroid tissue
in most instances, and even q
. small remnant may start activity
again.