232 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Cultivating the Parasite of Epizootic Lymphangitis. "' — A.. Boquet 

 and L. Negre first obtained cultures of Cryptococcus farcinosus in horse- 

 dung agar, but after two or three passages the organism was transferred 

 to Sabourand's medium, potato and carrot. After a time the coccus 

 develops a mycelium which forms spores and chlamydospores. The 

 cultures were successfully inoculated on horses. 



(2) Preparing: Objects. 



Modification of Bouin's Fluid.!— A. C Hollande, after praising 

 the eminent qualities of Bouin's picro-aceto-formalin mixture, states 

 that it may even be improved by the addition of neutral acetate of 

 copper. He gives the following formula : Picric acid, 4 grm. ; neutral 

 acetate of copper, 2*5 grm.; 40 p.c. formalin, 10 c.cm. ; glacial acetic 

 acid, 1 • 5 c.cm. ; distilled water, 100 c.cm. The acetate of copper is 

 dissolved in 100 c.cm. of distilled water ; then are added 4 grm. of picric 

 acid. After the picric acid is dissolved the fluid is filtered, and to the 

 filtrate are added 10 c.cm. of the 40 p.c. formalin and the acetic acid. 

 The pieces to be fixed are immersed in the fixative for three days. They 

 are next washed several times in distilled water during twenty-four 

 hours. They are afterwards passed through upgraded alcohols. This 

 is important, as direct passage to strong alcohol gives rise to a precipitate. 

 The author gives a list of eight fluids through which the fixed tissue 

 should be passed. 



Short Method of Preparing Histological Material.^ — L. W. 



Strong publishes a modification of the usual routine by which the time 

 is reduced to three days, with considerable saving in labour and reagents : 

 1. Fix in 10 p.c. formalin in SO p.c. alcohol overnight. 2. 95 p.c. 

 alcohol, eight to ten hours. 3. Acetone, from one-half to two hours. 

 4. Chloroform-paraflin, overnight in warm place. 5. Paraffin, four 

 hours ; 48° C. m.p., two hours ; 52° C. m.p., two hours. 6. Embed. 



(3) Cutting:, including Embedding: and Microtomes. 



Electrifying the Microtome. § — H. E. Metcalf derived his inspir- 

 ation from an electric sewing-machine. The device consists of a small 

 motor with a cork friction-wheel, and mounted on a base, so that when 

 put underneath a sewing machine fly-wheel a strong spring in the base 

 will press the cork friction-wheel against the fly-wheel of the sewing- 

 machine. The motor was turned on its side with its base bolted to 

 a block, and the block bolted to the table. The microtome- wheel was 

 then backed up on to the cork friction-wheel of the motor until the 

 requisite tension was secured, and then it was bolted to the table. Thus 

 both motor and microtome are both rigidly fastened down. 



Variations in speed are obtained by means of the foot-controller 

 which accompanies the motor. Although this controller allows only six 



* Comptes Rendus, clxvi. (1918) pp. ,308-11. 



t C.K. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxxi. (1918) pp. 17-20. 



X Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc, xxxvi. (1917) pp. 280-1. 



^ Trans. Amer. Micr. Soc, xxxvi. (1917) pp. 267-9 (1 fig.). 



