Abstract
Summary
The percentage of reticulocytes in the blood of young rats bred from an original Wistar strain varying in age from birth to 3 months was determined. These data have been correlated with growth, hemoglobin level, total hemoglobin and red blood cell count. The drop in the hemoglobin level during the nursing period is associated with a progressive decrease in the number of reticulocytes. Rats from our colony 2 to 3 months old show 2 to 3% (.2 to .3 millions per c.mm.) of reticulocytes. The significance of the number of reticulocytes in young adult stock animals as a possible criterion of potential anemia has been indicated.
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