Abstract
The metabolism of human nucleated red blood cells has not previously been determined because of difficulties in procuring material. In most anemias the number of nucleated erythrocytes in the blood is so small in relation to the number of non-nucleated erythrocytes that the metabolism of the former is obscured by that of the latter. Moreover, it is impossible without damaging their very sensitive metabolic reactions to separate in sufficient amount the nucleated from the nonnucleated red blood cells and from the leukocytes. The opportunity recently presented itself through the kindness of the Department of Pediatrics of examining at intervals of from three to five months the blood of a patient with erythroblastic anemia who had an extremely high proportion of nucleated red blood cells, 130,000 to 364,000 erythroblasts to 1.8 to 3.5 million nonnucleated erythrocytes in 1 c.mm. of blood. The patient was an eight year old boy of Greek parentage. One sister died at 2 years with symptoms similar to the patient's. Parents and a 3 year old brother are in good health. Since 1932 the patient has been given blood transfusions for his anemia regularly every few months. Splenectomy in 1933 was not followed by any evident improvement. At the time this study was begun there were 245,000 erythroblasts and 3.25 million non-nucleated red blood cells in 1 c.mm., that is, a percentage of 7 per cent of erythroblasts in his total red cell count. The percentage of reticulocytes was below 1 per cent. The leukocytes varied between 5,000 and 7,000 per c.mm.
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