Autohemolysis and other changes resulting from the incubation in vitro of red cells from patients with congenital hemolytic anemia.

By ,J. C. SELW YN, M.I). (CANTAB.) AND .J. V. 11 cIE, MI)., M.ILC.P. (LoND.) T HE INCUBATION at 37 C. of sterile defibrimmated blood from cases of hereditary spherocyt.osis result.s iii a more rapid immcrease in osmotic fragility of the m’ed (.ellsm2. 22 amid a more rapid rate of autohemolysis3 ‘ thani normal. The cause of these unusually rapid changes lies in the m’ed (‘ells anm(l nmot mm the serum, as replacememit of the patient’s serum by salimme or by serum fm’om a normal personm does not retard the changes.3’ 12 Moreo ’ei’, artificial (‘oncenmtm’atioml of the blood causes a further inicrease mi both fragility and hemolysis.tm2 The beneficial results of splemiectomy mm hereditary spherocytosis immdicate without anmy doubt that the patient’s spleemi is of major importance in the causation of hemolysis in \‘i\.o. However, the exact mechammism of hemolysis is still not knowmm. Histologic