STUDIES IN THE BLOOD CYTOLOGY OF THE RABBIT : IV. CONSECUTIVE NEUTROPHILE, BASOPHILE, AND EOSINOPHILE OBSERVATIONS ON GROUPS OF NORMAL RABBITS

Consecutive weekly observations on the neutrophile, the basophile, and the eosinophile 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. In the case of the 4 groups followed 13 to 35 weeks, the general trend of the neutrophile cells was towards increased mean values; with the group followed 8 weeks, decreasing values were found. An increase in the mean values of the basophile cells was observed in the two groups of rabbits followed in 1927–28; in the groups of 1928–29, the mean values decreased. The mean values of the eosinophile cells showed no definite trends but the findings were characterized by abrupt and marked fluctuations. The periods of greatest irregularity in mean neutrophile and eosinophile values occurred in the fall and the late winter and spring months of both years, but in the case of the basophiles, the irregularities were distributed throughout the first year and occurred chiefly in the winter months of the second year. The major trends and many of the minor fluctuations as well which were observed in the mean cell values of one group of rabbits were also generally seen in another group examined during the same months. The general levels of the neutrophile, the basophile, and the eosinophile mean values in the groups examined during 1927–28 were higher than in the groups of 1928–29.