1956 Volume 30 Issue 8 Pages 804-811
Differential leukocyte count, especially in regard to eosinophils and lymphocytes before and after the injection of adrenalin, ACTH or cortisone, was examined to reach the following conclusions.
1) The initial increase in eosinophils and lymphocytes after ACTH or cortisone administration in healthy persons was lower than after adrenalin injection. Consequently, the action of adrenalin to incite an initial increase in eosinophils was regarded to depend upon its stimulation on the nervous system, and could not be attributed to the activity of the hypophyseo-adrenocortical system.
2) A milder initial increase in eosinophils was likewise induced by ACTH or cortisone than by adrenal in at the febrile stage of scarlet fever. The increase was, however, still more evident in the patients than in healthy persons. This was due to a hypersaturated condition of the organs partaking in retaining eosinophils and lymphocytes in this disease. On account of saturation, these organs were sensitive to stimuli to discharge eosinophils into blood stream.
3) The reduction of eosinophils, which followed the initial increase, was so curtailed in scarlet fever patients that they ceased to fall already 2 hours after the injection of the above medicaments and began to resume the former value. This phenomenon, characteristic to scarlet fever, especially at its febrile stage, was attributed to a saturated condition of leukocyte retaining organs with eosinophils and lymphocytes at the time of the injection. The initial discharge of these cells could provide only little room for the re-retention.
4) On the basis of the reported experiments, the mechanism of Thorn's test is most reasonably defined by the view, which emphasizes the retention of leukocytes in organs.
