THE EOSINOPENIA OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE

Abstract

1. The effect of physical exercise, largely in the form of marching with various loads, has been studied in young men.

2 All gradations were observed in the eosinopenic effect of physical exorcise, varying from no detectable effect compared with control values to the virtual disappearance of the cells from the blood. The depth of the eosinopenia was proportional to the severity of the exercise. The term severity is not synonymous with metabolic cost and is more closely related to the effect of the exercise on the heart rate. For exercises of differing duration, the depth of the eosinopenia was found to be proportional to the duration of the exercise when the heart rate (not the rate of work) was kept constant. The virtual disappearance of eosinophils from the blood corresponds roughly with the inability of the individual to continue the exercise of his own free will.

3.After a moderate or severe eosinopenia occurring during the daytime the count returns to normal in the early hours of the following morning.

4 For many practical purposes it may be desirable to obtain a moan count for a group of individuals. This may be done simply by pooling the diluted blood samples from the individuals and making a. count of the mixture