Abstract
This investigation was undertaken to study the relationships between haemoglobin type and the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells to hypotonic saline, and between the osmotic fragility and erythrocytic adenosine triphosphate content in the Finnish Landrace sheep. The results are as follows : 1. The osmotic fragility of the red blood cells of type Hb B to hypotonic saline was the significantly highest in the red blood dells of three kinds of haemoglobin types, and the red blood cells of type Hb AB were less fragile to hypotonic saline than those of type Hb A. 2. Adenosine triphosphate content in the red blood cells of different types of haemoglobin was in the order of Hb Hb AB> Hb A. 3. A tendency was observed that the osmotic fragility to hypotonic saline and erythrocytic adenosine triphosphate content were negatively correlated. The red blood cells of type Hb A with low osmotic fragility had lower level of adenosine triphosphate than the red blood cells of type Hb B with high osmotic fragility.
