BLOOD CHANGES OF THE RABBITS SUBJECTED TO THE SIMULTANEOUS ACTIONS OF BENZOL AND X-RAY

Abstract

Several studies have demonstrated that what more than two factors acted simultaneously on a living body, the actions by the factors were multiplied or offset, differing from the picture of each single factor acting. This finding suggests that in conducting the hygienic control of working places where more than two factors are involved it may not be satisfactory to device the counter measures on the ground of the findings on each individual factor. So far, the studies were limited to the combination of chemical factors. The author was interested in the combination of chemical and physical factors, and he selected the combination of benzol with X-ray which was regarded as an important problem in the present industrial hygiene. The author investigated the changes in body weight, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, and rate of phagocytized neutrophils of rabbits being subjected to the simultaneous actions by benzol and X-ray, in comparison with the changes when being subjected to each factor respectively. Benzol was given three times by injection in a dose of 0.2 cc per kg of body weight on alternate days. X-ray was given once by whole body irradiation in a dose of 50 r. With the injection of benzol only, the body weight decreased, the white cell count decreased and the rate of phagocytized neutrophils dropped. With the irradiation of X-ray only, the red cell count decreased and the rate of phagocytized neutrophils dropped as well. With the injection and irradiation combined, both the body weight and the white cell count showed more decrease than in case of the injection of benzol only, though these were not affected at all with the irradiation of X-ray only. While the rate of phagocytized meutrophils showed drop with either the injection or the irradiation, it showed more drop with the combined injection and irradiation than with the injection only. The red cell count showed no decrease with the injection and the irradiation combined. In short, it was noticed that the effects of actions of two factors were multiplied in the body weight and the white cell count, while they were added in the phagocytized neutrophils.