A note on the megakaryocytes of the normal cat's spleen

✍ Scribed by Rothermel, Julia E.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1930
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 987 KB
• Volume: 47
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0003-276X
• DOI: 10.1002/ar.1090470209

✦ Synopsis

Despite numerous iiivestigations upon the giant cells of the blood-forming organs, comparatively little work has heen done on those cells found in the postnatal spleen. Megakaryocytes have, indeed, been frequently noted in the spleen of various mammals, but little emphasis has been laid upon their occurrence, development, and possible significance. In the bone marrow, on the other hand, this cell type has received much attention. This has undoubtedly been due to the fact that these large cells are uniformly found in greater numbers in the red bone marrow and offer, consequently, a broader field f o r iiivestigation. Those familiar with the literature on megakaryocytes know that they have been observed and studied in the embryonic mammalian spleen-a site of blood-cell formation. In a recent contribution Hartmann ('30), in noting their presence in the foetal spleen, goes a step further by specifying ther initial appearance and occiirrence as coincident with that of erythrocyte development.

The fact that giant cells are present in the postnatal spleen has been shown by various investigators. Wright ('05, 'lo),