Plasma Viscosity: A Clinical Test

The Plasma Viscosity in Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Rheumatic Diseases

“…The general findings of the latter paper were confirmed by Houston, Harkness and Whittington (4) and by Harkness, Houston and Whittington (5) after 645 estimations of the plasma viscosity-223 of these were of pulmonary tuberculosis; 385 were of a variety of diseases and 37 were of normal persons. Although these data indicate that the plasma viscosity is significant in following the course of persons with pulmonary tuberculosis, they show emphatically that the test is non-specific.…”

“…The plasma viscosity indicates systemic reaction to disease processes. 5. As an indication of the presence of and changes in the systemic reaction the test is sensitive and reliable.…”

Plasma Viscosity in Rheumatic Diseases

“…In the course of some 650 determinations which included non-tuberculous conditions the usefulness of the viscosity test was confirmed (Houston et al, 1945;Harkness et al, 1946). These experiments also demonstrated the complex " periodic" relationship between the plasma viscosity and the maximum erythrocyte sedimentation rate (Whittington, 1942), showing that if the viscosity is a reliable quantitative index of the clinical state then the E.S.R.…”

“…( (Harkness and Whittington, 1947a), and at present there is no exact knowledge of the physical effects in these circumstances.…”

“…From the total blood volume as measured in the centrifuge tube the concentration of the anticoagulant can be calculated and allowed for. The plasma protein results so obtained were considered only in the full realization of the possi"ble gross errors of the method, as we have reported elsewhere (Harkness, 1947; Harkness and Whittington, 1947b).…”