Howell-Jolly Bodies: A Brief Historical Review

Abstract Understanding the process by which red cell precursors lose their nuclei developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to the identification of nuclear remnants in circulating red cells in certain pathological states, particularly absence or decreased function of the spleen. Willi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of the medical sciences 2012-05, Vol.343 (5), p.407-409
Main Authors: Sears, David A., MD, Udden, Mark M., MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Erythrocyte
Erythrocyte Inclusions
France
General aspects
Hematology - history
History
History, 19th Century
History, 20th Century
Howell-Jolly bodies
Humans
Inclusions
Internal Medicine
Medical sciences
United States
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Summary:Abstract Understanding the process by which red cell precursors lose their nuclei developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to the identification of nuclear remnants in circulating red cells in certain pathological states, particularly absence or decreased function of the spleen. William Howell, an American, and Justin Jolly, a Frenchman, were among a number of early contributors to this field. Early on, their names were applied, singly or in tandem, to these red cell inclusions, and the eponym, Howell-Jolly bodies, has stuck. It was, however, not until after the mid-20th century that Howell-Jolly bodies were clearly differentiated from basophilic stippling and that the mechanisms of their formation and removal from red cells were understood.
ISSN:0002-9629
1538-2990
DOI:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31823020d1