200 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



found impi-ession, and his fascinations seem to have 

 monopolised all consideration, to the detriment of the 

 main issue : but he is not everybody, his imperfections 

 are manifest in his power of staining generally ; he 

 detects too much. Intoxicated by success, in his 

 endeavour to apprehend my client, he includes a 

 mob of lookers-on, especially in sputum. 



Employed by Ehrlich, Stainer certainly (as I have 

 admitted) revealed the defendant, but how ? To quote 

 an oftlcial precis recorded in authoritative pages, by 

 the use of "solutions, watery and alcoholic, of a 

 basic aniline dye — fuchsin, crysoidin, vesuvin, methyl 

 violet, and gentian violet." Weigart now made a 

 singulardiscovery, the difference between a "saturated 

 alcoholic and a saturated watery solution of aniline 

 incorporated with the absolute necessity of alkalinity." 

 Ziehl opposed the alkaline theory altogether, declaring 

 the defendant could only be stained and discovered 

 when "acetic acid" was employed. "Experiments 

 were then made with phenolptalein," a substance of 

 the "aromatic series" combined with carbolic, 

 resorcin, and pyrogallic acid. An unexpected diffi- 

 culty approached : aniline, the founder of the Stainer 

 family, was found to be an imperfect medium, could 

 not be relied upon ; containing toluidine, nitro- 

 benzole, and paraniline, his purity was questioned ; 

 the alcohols differed in quality and character 

 (they generally do) : "methylic, propylic, butylic, 

 amylic," were tried, and did not give satisfaction. 

 " Phloroglucine was better; boracic was some- 

 what feeble compared with salicylic." Gentlemen, 

 under this trying ordeal the defendant ; became 

 captious, and showed his resentment by sometimes 

 taking up one stain, then another, and exhibiting 

 a curious acumen in detecting a difference between 

 aniline and fuchsin, and being especially stubborn 

 and sulky under the influence of " phenolphthalein." 

 Differences of temperature naturally affected him ; 

 locality also, I admit, a distinguished member of 

 his family resides in leprosy, and accepts a stain 

 with amiable readiness, but obstinacy seems to be 

 the family failing, for Lichtheim found a similar 

 micrococcus that "would not;" another in 

 " psorospernise " behaved very handsomely, " coming 

 out beautifully reddened ; " " those who {sic) dwell in 

 elastic tissue and cheesy matter " display the same 

 readiness. To crown these discoveries, it was found 

 the various washings and soakings made the 

 sections of the tissues "shrivel up." It might end 

 here, but the hue and cry after " Bacillus " is severely 

 eager ! lie had to meet the exhaustive researches of 

 Laulanie, Eimer, Aufrecht, Ponfick, Weigert and 

 others, especially Miigge ; beyond this foreign 

 research, there is a perfect chain of English 

 authority pressing hard. Is the defendant a factor? 

 That is the real issue. A cause, or an effect ? Essays 

 have been written, experiments made, but no 

 reliable standpoint reached. Conceive in all 

 seriousness this : Cohnheim endeavouring to produce 



his development by introducing " infected cork, 

 gutta-percha, and other inert materials into the 

 abdomen of animals ; " Fraenkel failing, in repeating 

 these experiments ; Lebert and Waldenburg opposing 

 inoculative power, Koch swearing by it ; Tappeimer 

 and Schottelius trying "inhalation of tuberculous 

 matter," the result obtained being only "inflamma- 

 tory ; " Carl Solomonsen attempting to infect the 

 "anterior chamber of the eyes of rabbits," with no 

 result. But no longer to trespass on your patience, I 

 claim a verdict on the testimony of an antagonistic 

 witness. 



Baumgarten with astounding patience tried to 

 inoculate, without in any one case producing 

 tuberculosis or infection, organic "foreign" bodies. 

 To quote the instances in the exact words: "carcinoma, 

 sarcoma, lymphona, chancres, lupus, typhus, glands, 

 actinomycosis, crupous and diphtheritic masses, 

 granular tissue, scars, pus, gregarinre, cocci, all sorts 

 of fungi, and cheesy infarcts." Nothing as affecting 

 the character of the defendant can excel the 

 sublime bathos of such experiments. In tracing 

 the history of obscure organisms, different minds, 

 however alert, cultivated, and conscientious, may 

 be so warped by preconceptions or an eagerness to 

 establish) foregone conclusions, as to give accepted 

 facts any interpretation chosen. Opinions may actu- 

 ally be supported or opposed by the same observa- 

 tions. If the allegations against the defendant could 

 be incontestably proved, no living creature would 

 be exempt from rapid and fatal disease. 



E. T. D. 



Crouch End. 



DREDGING IN THE FRITH OF CLYDE. 

 By S. P. Alexander. 



THAT the Frith of Clyde affords a rich field for 

 the study of Marine Zoology, is, I feel, a fact 

 not very generally known or appreciated. 



Seaside visitors and many young naturalists have 

 doubtless often roamed along the sands and rocks of 

 our coasts at low tide ; have peered into the rock- 

 pools ; watched the habits of, collected, and admired 

 the beautiful creatures of the ocean left by the 

 receding waters. 



In this way they will have picked up many speci- 

 mens of our littoral species, and occasionally, even, of 

 those more oceanic in distribution. 



It is in this manner, I say, that the lover of Nature 

 has probably made his first acquaintance with Marine 

 Zoology, and by the products of which he may have 

 stocked an aquarium. 



But it is to the more fruitful and higher pleasures 

 of dredging for marine objects, that I would now call 

 his attention. 



A great stride was made towards the advancement 



