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Science 18 July 1969:
Vol. 165. no. 3890, pp. 288 - 291
DOI: 10.1126/science.165.3890.288
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Articles

Fluid Drop-Like Transition of Erythrocytes under Shear

Holger Schmid-Schönbein 1 and Roe Wells 1

1 Departments of Medicine, Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

Red cells dispersed in a continuous medium of high viscosity possess the flow properties of fluid drops. The cells at rest are biconcave, while under shear they become progressively deformed into prolate ellipsoids, their long axis aligned parallel to the flow direction. The red cell membrane rotates around the hemoglobin like a tread of a tank. At high rates of shear this mechanism greatly reduces viscosity at all hematocrit values.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The red cell as a fluid droplet: tank tread-like motion of the human erythrocyte membrane in shear flow.
T. Fischer, M Stohr-Lissen, and H Schmid-Schonbein (1978)
Science 202, 894-896
   Abstract »    PDF »
Shear Dependence of Effective Cell Volume as a Determinant of Blood Viscosity.
S. Chien (1970)
Science 168, 977-979
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)