THE PROCESS OF PHAGOCYTOSIS : THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN DIRECT OBSERVATION AND DEDUCTIONS FROM THEORY.

The phagocyte, then, is a complex system delicately responsive to internal and external influences. Interfacial tensions, and under certain conditions viscosity, are critical factors in determining the ingestion of particles with which the phagocyte has come into contact. Deductions from the formulation of these factors by Fenn and Ponder are in agreement with observation and with experimental analysis. However, other and still unformulated forces also enter into the behavior of these remarkable cells.