Page:Blood examination.djvu/30

18 eosinophil count in bilharzia hæmatobia infection from all sources is 18.5 per cent.

Eosinophils seem to be very scanty in the blood of those infected with bothriocephalus latus; the colour index is usually over unity, and the disease, in so far as the blood is concerned, is practically indistinguishable from idiopathic pernicious anæmia, both conditions showing nucleated red corpuscles.

Probably the average eosinophilia in trichiniasis is higher than in any other affection, it being 34.4 per cent. for 19 cases taken from all sources.

Blood counts have recently been made by Welsh, Professor of Pathology at the University of Sydney, in 20 cases of hydatid disease previous to operation. He found a marked eosinophilia—i.e. over 500 per c. mm.—in 10 cases; a slight eosinophilia or high normal—i.e. 200 to 500 per c. mm.—in 5 cases, whilst the remaining 5 cases showed no eosinophilia at all. He only found a leucocytosis up to 10,000 in 2 of the 20 cases.

Da Costa says that "leucocytosis and eosinophilia is the important blood picture," but this apparently is not always the case, as in chronic cases the eosinophils and a leucocytosis may certainly disappear.