The eosinophil count of 10 rats decreased from a mean resting count of 435.5 cells/cu mm-233.2, 4 hours after swimming to exhaustion (mean swimming time 66.2 min.). After submaximal swimming (mean swimming time 33.1 min.) the mean eosinophil count was 275.3. Following a 6-week period of daily swimming the mean eosinophil count after exhaustive swimming was 114.4 cells/cu mm (mean swimming time 126.5 min.). After submaximal swimming (mean swimming time 63.2 min.) the mean eosinophil count was 143.6 cells/cu mm. Eight days after the termination of training the eosinophil response was measured after swimming bouts of the same duration as the pretraining periods (66.2 and 33.1 min.). The eosinophil counts were 261.2 and 270.0, respectively. Eosinophil counts immediately following training were statistically significantly lower than pretraining counts or counts made 8 days after termination of training. Counts after exhaustive swimming were significantly lower than after submaximal swimming. It was concluded that training increases the magnitude of the eosinophil response to exercise. Submitted on November 13, 1959
With the technical assistance of James M. Pollock, B.S.• The effect of muscular exercise on blood coagulation has been the subject of several investigations in both man and laboratory animals. 1 " 7 Coagulation time has been measured by various methods of whole blood clotting time, one-stage prothrombin time, 4 and more recently by thromboelastography. 5 In general, results have indicated that clotting is accelerated immediately after muscular exertion. However, if blood is rendered hypercoagulable by exercise, it would be expected that intravascular clotting would be more frequent among those engaged in heavy physical labor or in athletics. This has not been found to be the case. 8 In fact, some investigations have shown that delayed coagulation time is one of the chronic effects of habitually high levels of physical activity. 11 -7 In view of the possible role of exertion and hypercoagulability as etiologieal factors in coronary thrombosis, it seemed worthwhile to investigate further the relationship between blood coagulation and exercise, employing clotting tests of more recent origin than previous studies, and using a group of normal huinan subjects rather than animals or hospital patients as the more extensive of the prior investigations have done. 3 ' 4 In this way, it was hoped that more widely applicable conclusions could be drawn from the data.
MethodsThe 32 subjects wore male college students ranging from 17 to 37 years of age, from 67 to 74 inches in height, and from 150 to 185 pounds in weight. Twenty-five were moderately active, and seven were members of varsity football, track, swimming, or baseball teams. None of the subjects gave evidence of apprehension of the blood sampling or of the strenuous exercise. They were ques-
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