372 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



staining and mounting serial sections. The sections are stuck on strips 

 of non-colourable paper, the ordinary celloidin sections being taken out 

 of 90 p.c. alcohol, while the paraffin and dry celloidin sections are 

 treated as they are. After the strips have been allowed to dry in the 

 air for a quarter of an hour, they are placed in xylol or in a mixture of 

 equal parts of chloroform and 90 p.c. alcohol. After having been 

 mopped up with filter-paper the strips are immersed in 90 p.c. alcohol. 

 After being pressed again between folds 'of filter-paper the strips are- 

 put in distilled water, and from this to dilute hematoxylin solution 

 (hasmaluin, Delafield's, &c). After a thorough washing the strips are- 

 transferred to eosin-alcohol (90 to 95 p.c. alcohol) from which they 

 are passed through carbolxylol to xylol. The strips may be kept in 

 xylol, paraffin oil, or in cedar oil. 



Method for Demonstrating Cartilaginous Micro-Skeletons* — 

 J. W. van Wijhe makes permanent preparations for demonstrating the- 

 cartilaginous skeleton of embryos by the following method. The 

 embryo is fixed in 5 p.c. sublimate solution, or 10 p.c. formol, or in 

 Zenker's fluid, and is preserved in alcohol. Before staining, the object 

 is immersed for a day or two previously in acid-alcohol (£ p.c. HC1) and 

 this must be renewed if it has turned yellow next day. After the acid- 

 alcohol bath, the object is placed for a day, or better for a week, in an 

 alcoholic solution of methylen-blue to which 1 p.c. hydrochloric acid 

 has been added. The blue-stained object is then immersed in acid- 

 alcohol, renewed several times on the first day and once daily afterwards- 

 The renewal is continued until the alcohol shows no blue tinge the 

 next day. 



In about a week the stain has been removed from all the tissues,, 

 except from the fundamental substance of the cartilage. The object is. 

 then dehydrated in absolute alcohol and clarified in xylol. This last 

 procedure is done gradually in order to prevent wrinkling : the first stage 

 being 2 parts alcohol to 1 of xylol ; the second, 1 part alcohol to 2 of 

 xylol ; and the third, pure xylol. After this -the objects are put first in a. 

 thin, afterwards in a thick solution of balsam in xylol, and finally in a. 

 solution which at ordinary temperature is solid, but liquid at G0°. In 

 this solution they are kept in a thermostat at G0° for a couple of hours,. 

 and are then enclosed in glass cells under a cover-glass. The ordinary 

 glass cells are usually too low, but higher ones are easily made by fixing 

 strips of window-glass on a slide with balsam. 



Method for Staining Sputum for Bacteriological Examination^ — 

 W. H. Smith describes the following method. Solutions needed : — anilin- 

 oil-gentian violet, Gram's iodine, saturated aqueous solution of eosin, 

 Loeffler's alkaline methylen-blue, mixture of 95 p.c. alcohol 4 parts, 

 and ether G parts, 95 p.c. alcohol, absolute alcohol, xylol. 



The films should be made from fresh sputum to which neither 

 carbolic acid nor corrosive sublimate has been added. The film is fixed 

 in the flame in the usual way. Then drop on some gentian-violet and 

 heat till it vaporises ; wash off I.K.I. ; put on more I.K.I, and heat ; 



* K. Akad. "Wetensch. Amsterdam, Proc. Sect. Set, v.(1902) pp. 47-51. 

 t Boston Med. Surg. Journ., cxlvii. (1902) pp. 659-62. 



