UNSTAINED SPECIMEN (FRESH BLOOD) --------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------- | P. vivax | P. malariae | P. falciparum | (benign tertian) | (quartan) |(malignant tertian) | | | (aestivo-autumnal) --------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------- Character of |Swollen and light |About the size and|Tendency to distor- the infected | in color after | color of a normal| tion of red cell red cell. | eighteen hours. | red cell. | rather than crena- | | | tion. Shriveled | | | appearance. (Brassy | | | color.) --------------+-------------------+------------------+-------------------- Character of |Indistinct amoeboid|Distinct frosted |Small, distinctly young | outline. Hyaline. | glass disc. Very | round, crater-like schizont. | Rarely more than | slight amoeboid | dots not more than | one in r.c. Active| motion. | one-sixth diameter | amoeboid movement.| | of red cell. Two to | One-third diam. of| | four parasites in | r.c. | | one red cell common. | | | Shows amoeboid move- | | | ment until appear- | | | ance of pigment. | | | --------------+-------------------+------------------+--------------------- Character of |Amoeboid outline. |Rather oval in |Only seen in over- mature | No amoeboid | shape. Sluggish | whelming infections. schizont. | movement. | movement of | Have scanty fine | | peripherally | black pigment | | placed coarse | clumped together. | | black pigment. | --------------+-------------------+------------------+--------------------- Pigment. |Fine yellow-brown, |Coarse almost |Pigmented schizonts | rod-like granules | black granules. | very rare in peri- | which show active | Shows movement | pheral circulation | motion in one- | only in young to | except in over- | half-grown | half-grown | whelming infections. | schizont. Motion | schizont. | Tends to clump as | ceases in full- | | eccentric pigment | grown schizont. | | masses almost black