Summary
Viscosities of blood plasma obtained from patients suffering from leukaemia, macroglobulinaemia,
polycythaemia, spherocytosis, haemophilia and myelofibrosis has been studied by means
of a rotational cone-in-cone viscometer. The data obtained is not intended to characterize
the specific diseases. The aim is to show that a great range of viscosities may be
found in various samples of human blood plasma and that the pathological plasma may
show non-Newtonian and thixotropic flow characteristics.
It is suggested that determination of plasma viscosities, over a range of rates of
shear, might contribute to our understanding of some problems of blood circulation
and might be beneficial in more correct evaluation of the erythrocyte sedimentation
tests.
