THE LOSS OF CIRCULATING ERYTHROCYTES IN CERTAIN TYPES OF EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMONIA

Erythrocyte counts, blood volume, hemoglobin, and hematocrit determinations on a series of dogs suffering from experimental pneumonia induced by the tracheal insufflation of Bacillus bronchiseplicus and Bacillus mucosus capsulatus indicate that in this condition there is an actual loss of circulating erythrocytes, without compensatory regeneration. Postmortem examination of the organs of these animals revealed red cells in various stages of degeneration in the capillaries and tissue spaces of the lungs, liver, spleen, and intestinal walls.