Abstract
In 88 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, the relation between the clinical symptoms and the eosinophil reduction rate was examined 4 hours after the subcutaneous administration of 0.1% adrenaline (0.3cc). The following results were obtained.
1) In patients with pulmonary tuberculosis the eosinophil reduction was lower and the variation was larger than in normal persons.
2) The more severe the pulmonary tuberculosis, the lower was the reduction and the larger was the variation.
3) In the cases of exsudative tuberculosis, the reduction was lower than in those of the proliferative type. In the mixed form, variation of reduction rate was somewhat at greater than in other types.
4) The positivity of the sputum for tubercle bacilli and the subjective symptoms has almost no connection with change of eosinophil count. Patients with a moderate or marked acceleration in erythrocyte sedimentation rate showed relatively large variation in the eosinophil count.
We are unable to ignore the fact that the eosinophil number variation caused by adrenaline has close relation with the adrenocortical function and the protective or adaptive mechanism of the body.
The above results obtained in pulmonary tuberculosis, a general consumtive disease, are indicating an evidence for this theory.
