Influence of radium and x-rays on the frog's leucocytes

The white blood corpuscles are the most sensitive cells to the action of radium and x-rays. The senior writer has indicated in his previous publications that this action differs specifically for the various types of the white blood cells. This “selective” biological action of the rays goes even beyond the apparent structural differences of the cells. The rays for instance destroy rapidly the lymphocytes of lymphatic leukemia, while they have a comparatively slight effect on the lymphocytes in conditions of inflammatory leucocytosis. As a general rule the result of the action of radium and x-rays on the normal blood consists in the diminution of the number of lymphocytes and a relative increase in the number of the polymorphonuclear leucocytes. The other types of leucocytes usually remain unaffected.

The real significance of this phenomenon will remain obscured until a clearer insight is gained into the derivation and the comparative functional significance of the two types of white blood cells.

The numerical proportion of the lymphocytes and the polymorphonuclear leucocytes differs in the various animal species and it is therefore of great importance for the ultimate elucidation of the whole problem to test the action of the rays on different species of animals.

The present investigation consisted in subjecting to the action of radium and x-rays normal frogs and also frogs in whom a change in the white blood cells was induced by a preliminary injection of yeast.

X-raying of Normal Frogs.—The method consisted in taking a total and differential blood count of the animal before the raying. The whole animal was then x-rayed (45 minutes, Coolidge tube, 7 ma. 9-inch spark gap, 5-inch focal distance) and blood counts taken at various intervals for four days.