The Thickness of the Wall of the Red Blood Corpuscle

Fricke's assumption, that the dielectric constant of the erythrocyte wall is 3, is discussed. The assumption is approximately correct in the case of a solid layer of any thickness, and in the case of a liquid layer of not more than bimolecular thickness. For liquid layers of greater thickness the dielectric constant may be several times greater than 3. Calculated values based on experimental determinations are given of the dielectric constants of the polar groups of unimolecular films.