In every case there is a notable diminution in the number of red corpuscles (Laache). The average number at the time when the tumour becomes palpable is about 3,500,000 per cubic millimetre, though occasionally it reaches 5,000,000 or falls as low as 1,500,000. A relatively high count, or even polycythaemia, is occasionally encountered in cases of pyloric stenosis accompanied by excessive vomiting. It is worthy of notice that the corpuscular richness in gastric cancer seldom increases under treatment, but at the same time the number of red cells rarely falls below 1,500,000 per cubic millimetre. The former peculiarity serves to distinguish the disease from many other forms of secondary anaemia, and the latter from the pernicious variety, where, according to Henry, the cells always number less than 1,000,000 per cubic millimetre before death occurs. When stained films are examined by the microscope, the red corpuscles show moderate variations of shape, and not infrequently poikilocytosis. Lepine has observed microcytes in such numbers that they equalled half the total number of red cells; while other writers have described the presence of nucleated corpuscles of various sizes. Typical megaloblasts, however, are rarely, if ever, encountered.