The Behavior , as Regards Shape and Volume , of Human Red Cell

By ERIC 1 ONDER AND DELIA BARRETO T HIS PAPER is concermied with the way imi which the volumue and shape of human red cell ghosts, two properties relate to the structure of the ghost and probably related to the structure of the red cells from which they are derived, behave as the red cells fromn which the ghosts are prepared are stored for increasimig periods of time at 4 C. The problem will be approached first by (Onsidering (a) certain fundaniemital properties of ghost volumiie amid shape as they are observed in freshly drawn heparinized blood, (b) how these properties are modified as the heparinized blood is stored at 4 C., (c) the modificatiomis which appear in blood stored in ACD solution, amid (d) the modifications which occur in blood stored in ACD plus inosine. The simplest way of causing the volume of red cells and the volume of ghosts prepared from them to vary is to suspend the cells or ghosts in media of differemit tonicit.ies, T. Umider such circumstances, the van’t Hoff-Mariot.te law, which is based omi the assumption that the volume changes are the result of the passage of water alomie across a nonelastic cell surface, is supposed to apply. If it does, plotting the relative mean volume of the red cell or the ghost agaimist the reciprocal of the tomiicity (1/T) results in a straight line, the slope of which ought to be TV, the fractioiial water content of the cell or ghost.* So far as red cells are concerned, the slope is. usually less amid equal to RW, where R is a constant. intro-