Organ Distribution of Leucocytes

Abstract

Interest in the leucocytic participation between periphery and internal organs, dating from the early work of Goldscheider and Jacob 1 was revived by the publications of Widal 2 on the “hemoclastic crisis.”

In our own work of this field, we were first interested in determining the participation of individual organs because of the many clinical questions so related. 3 We observed a distinct balance existing between the peripheral organs and the splanchnic group (splanchno-peripheral balance). 4 This balance is presumably one that depends on the proper functioning of the autonomic nervous system whereby peripheral vaso-constriction (leucopenia) is associated with splanchnic vaso-dilatation (leucocytosis), the leucocytes accumulating chiefly in the liver. There seems very little doubt that the accumulation of leucocytes takes place in the organs of greatest metabolic activity. This having been established, a local leucocytosis justifies the assumption of increased organ activity.

In the continuation of this particular problem, we have carried out a number of operative procedures whereby individual organs were exposed under conditions that would be associated with least vascular disturbance. Using such animals, we proceeded to bring about diametrically opposite changes in the leucocyte partition, on the one hand using intravenous injections of bacteria with a resulting peripheral leucopenia, 5 and on the other hand producing peripheral leucocytosis by means of insulin shock. 6 In such animals we constantly checked the partition by means of leucocyte counts of skin and liver blood.

We have found that the leucocyte count of the vessels of the muscles, lungs, heart, brain and kidney usually corresponded to the direction taken by the skin vessels, in other words, a leucopenia was present in these vascular beds when the skin was also presenting evidence of a leucopenia.