Heinz Body Phenomenon in Erythrocytes

MONG the early investigators of hemolytic substances were Casper and Hoppe’ who in 1859 observed the brown coloration of blood due to nitrobenzene. Since then there has been a continued interest in the action of such toxic materials on the formed elements of the blood. The accelerated development of synthetic organic chemistry during the latter half of the i9th Century created numerous industrial hazards and poisons, at the same time providing the toxicologists with many new compounds with which to work. Among the coal tar products and derivatives of aniline thus produced, phenylhydrazine was of great importance because of its marked physiological action. Prepared in 1875 by Emil Fischer,25 its behavior in rabbits was studied ten years later by Hoppe-Scyler,58 the discoverer of methemoglobin.