STUDIES ON THE REDISTRIBUTION OF LEUCOCYTES.—I. VARIATIONS IN THE WHITE-CELL COUNT IN CATS SUBJECTED TO OPERATIVE PROCEDURE

1. The leucocyte count in the operated cat undergoes a spontaneous decrease for about an hour after the beginning of the operation. This decrease occurs in the visceral as well as in the peripheral vessels. The cells which are lost from the circulation are chiefly polymorphs. 2. The fall in the count is caused by the operative procedure, and not by the anæsthetic nor by the changes in the general arterial pressure. 3. The fall in the count can occur when all the abdominal viscera are removed from the circulation. 4. The lungs, the kidneys, and the spleen are capable of retaining and releasing large numbers of white cells at various times. 5. The leucocytes are not equally distributed in the various vessels of the body, and there is no constant relation between the counts in the peripheral and those in the visceral regions. I am indebted to the Dial Ciba Company for the supplies of dial used in these experiments.