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Multiple persistent vacuoles were seen in the neutrophils, monocytes and eosinophils of a 9 year old boy and his 10 year old sister. The siblings were both asymptomatic. In the bone marrow, the cytoplasmic vacuoles were also present in the promyelocytes, myelocytes and metamyelocytes, but not in the myeloblasts and they tended to be single and large in immature cells. The cytoplasmic vacuoles did not stain with PAS, Sudan Black or Oil Red O; Sudan III positivity of the vacuoles was found only in a very small number of granulocytes. The vacuoles appeared as round and bright bodies with phase contrast microscopy. By electron microscopy, the vacuoles contained material of low electron density and had no surrounding membrane. Granulocyte functions were unimpaired. Muscle biopsy showed normal morphology. This anomalous vacuolization of the leukocytes is consistent with familial Jordans anomaly.

Summary Heinz body formation by incubation of blood with acetylphenylhydrazine was more pronounced in erythrocytes of newborns than in erythrocytes of adults, the ratio being approximately 5:1. In haemolysates cord haemoglobin was denatured only slightly faster by acetylphenylhydrazine than was adult haemoglobin. By differentiating HbA-cells from HbF-cells in blood smears from newborns with the acid elution technic it could be shown that Heinz body formation proceeded nearly as fast in erythrocytes containing HbA as in erythrocytes containing HbF. HbF therefore does not play a significant role for the enhanced Heinz body formation in red cells of newborn infants. Since the amount of reduced glutathione has no decisive significance either, there must be some other characteristic property of the red cells of newborns making them labile in this respect.