Studies on Intracellular Crystals 2. New Crystals Arising in Normal and Leukemic Human Bone Marrow Cells

Hitherto unknown intracyto plasmic and intranuclear crystals were found arising in normal and leukemic bone marrow cells. Bone marrow cells were obtained by sternal aspiration from normal humans and patients with acute and chronic myelogenous leukemia, monocytic leukemia, acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The cells were observed supravitally under the phase contrast microscope for up to 10 days. A few hours after the preparations were made, needle-shaped or spindle-shaped, weakly to strongly refractile intracellular crystals arose in normal neutrophils, reticulum cells and leukemic cells. These crystals were demonstrated to show birefringence. No crystals were observed in lymphocytic cells of normal or leukemic origin.