Eosinophil Function

A MEETING held at Brook Lodge last year, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Paul Ehrlich's description of the eosinophil, revealed a recent upsurge of interest in the functional properties of this cell.1 Two particular attributes now appear to distinguish the eosinophil from the neutrophil and from other leukocytes: the first is an ability to inactivate mediators released from mast cells and thereby modulate or dampen down reactions associated with IgE-mediated degranulation of mast cells, and the second is an ability to damage the larval stages of some helminth parasites, especially Schistosoma mansoni. This article reviews the physiologic . . .