STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF THE WHITE BLOOD CELL

Abstract

The technic of determining glycogen in isolated white blood cells was applied to the study of the different types of leukemia and of polycythemia, in order to obtain information on the physiology of the white blood cell. From this study it is concluded that the granulated leukocyte is the only carrier of glycogen in whole blood. The "reducing substances" in lymphocytes and blast cells are not considered as true glycogen.The glycogen content of wet white blood cells in the rabbit amounts to about 1 per cent. In the human being a range of from 0.17 to 0.67 per cent was calculated. In disease higher percentages occur, in polycythemia up to 1.64 per cent and in glycogen storage disease up to 3.05 per cent.The glycogen concentration of normal white blood cells is within the same range as that of the striated muscle.