Normal Blood Sedimentation Rate and Other Hæmatological Values in the Punjab

Selection of subjects.?Observations were made on 100 healthy normal medical students (75 boys and 25 girls) between the ages of ]8 and 26 years. A thorough clinical examination of the subjects was done and those indicating actual disease or a suspicion of disease were discarded. The cases showing high B.S.R. were examined by specialists and some were screened and z-rayed so as to exclude the possibility of pathological cases in that way also. Blood samples were collected as described by Napier. Mostly they were drawn before the mid-day meals were taken and all examinations were completed within two hours. The following methods were employed in the determination of the various values :? (i) B.S.R. was determined by the techniques of Westergren (1921) and Wintrobe-Landsberg (1935). (ii) Packed-cell volume, total R.B.C. count and total W.B.C. count were determined by the technique as described by Napier and Das Gupta (1945). (Hi) Haemoglobin determinations were done by using Sahli-Haden haemoglobinometer. Deductions of the following were made from the above findings thus :? (a) Mean corpuscular volume : Volume of packed cells in c.cm. per 1,000 c.cm. blood red cells in million per c.mm. (b) Average corpuscular haemoglobin : Haemoglobin in grammes per litre of blood