STUDIES IN THE BLOOD CYTOLOGY OF THE RABBIT : VII. OBSERVATIONS ON RABBITS INOCULATED WITH A TRANSPLANTABLE MALIGNANT NEOPLASM

Successive blood counts at weekly intervals were made on rabbits inoculated with a transplantable malignant neoplasm of epithelial origin. There were 78 animals distributed in 9 groups; the period of observation after inoculation was 2 months. The results have been considered with respect to the character of the tumor process as determined by postmortem examination, the animals being classified as deaths, probable deaths, probable recoveries, and recoveries. The blood findings have been analyzed on the basis of the values derived from normal rabbits. A comparison has also been made with the results of preinoculation counts. In rabbits in which the tumor process was of pronounced or well marked severity, the numbers of monocytes became greatly increased; the neutrophiles and the total white blood cells were also increased; the eosinophiles, and to a less extent, the basophiles and lymphocytes were decreased; the red cell count was decreased and the hemoglobin content was lowered. In rabbits which recovered from the tumor inoculation, there were no outstanding changes in the blood picture when the findings for the entire observation period were considered. In the group of probable recoveries, the results were variable; there was, however, a definite although moderate increase of monocytes, and in general, the findings reflected the mildness of the disease when compared with those of the fatal cases and the group of probable deaths.