STUDIES IN THE BLOOD CYTOLOGY OF THE RABBIT : V. CONSECUTIVE LYMPHOCYTE AND MONOCYTE OBSERVATIONS ON GROUPS OF NORMAL RABBITS

Consecutive weekly observations on the lymphocyte and monocyte counts of the peripheral blood were made on 5 groups of normal rabbits, a total of 45 animals, during a period of 20 months from October, 1927 to July, 1929. Individual groups were examined 8 to 35 weeks. The results are analyzed on the basis of the mean group values of each week. In the case of the 4 groups followed 13 to 35 weeks, there was a general tendency for the lymphocyte mean values to become increased; with the group observed 8 weeks, the level of mean values showed little change. The general trend of the monocyte mean values was also in the direction of higher levels but it was less pronounced than that of the lymphocytes. The period of greatest irregularity in the mean values of the lymphocytes was in the late winter and spring months of both years. With the monocytes, periods of fluctuating values occurred in the fall of 1927, the spring and early summer of 1928, and in the late winter, spring, and early summer of 1929. There was a certain degree of parallelism in the case of two groups examined during the same months with respect to the direction and time of occurrence of a change in the level of lymphocyte and monocyte mean values. The general levels of lymphocyte and monocyte mean values in the groups examined during 1927–28 were higher than in the groups of 1928–29. The results based upon the trends of mean group values obtained from consecutive weekly observations showed no evidence of a consistent numerical relationship between lymphocytes and monocytes.