M. C. COOKE ON UNIVERSAL 



In Europe we may particularise Germany, in its widest sense, 

 ncluding all who speak or write the German Language, with whom 

 :ould be included the few Scandinavians who pursue the study, 

 and thus the German District would be held to mean all Northern 

 Europe, from the shores of tlae German Ocean to the confines of 

 Russia. Then France may be alluded to as including also Switzer- 

 land, and wherever the French tongue is employed. The South 

 of Europe is represented only by Italy, for Austria belongs to 

 Germany, the Turks are too idle, the Greeks too miserable, the 

 Spaniards too intiiguing, and the Portuguese too illiterate, to 

 produce any contributions to microscopical literature. Of America 

 we speak as I'estricted to North America, not including Mexico 

 and Labrador, but the United States and Canada, where the 

 English tongue prevails. So that the five microscopical centres 

 are Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and America, extended or 

 limited in application as already provided. From all parts of 

 Germany and France the literature contains microscopical ad- 

 measurements with the millemetre as the " unit." In Britain and 

 America the inch is the unit. Only a few years ago and the line 

 was employed in France by some, whilst the millemetre was em- 

 ployed by others, and in Germany the line was chiefly used as the 

 miit : this was sometimes the Prussian line and sometimes the 

 Paris line. In fact, some of the states seem to have been inde- 

 pendent of both, for we find, in Bohemia for instance, measure- 

 ments employed, the unit of which corresponds with none of those 

 alluded to. Time has wrought wonders, and now all the best 

 German authorities — or those, at least, with which we have had to do 

 — employ the millemetre. In France, too, the line is seldom 

 thought of — I think it may safely be said, never employed. Very 

 few Italians have devoted themselves to the microscope, or if they 

 have, they have not contributed much to microscopic literature. 

 Recently, Professor De Notaris has probably contributed most, 

 and he invariably adopts the French millemetre for his standard, 

 whence I have jumped to the conclusion that this measurement 

 is most approved in Italy. The exceptions in the five centres, to 

 which I have alluded, are so few that I think they do not militate 

 against the conclusion that the Anglo-Saxon adheres to his. 

 inch and all the rest have adopted more or less the French 

 millemetre. 



I may perhaps be permitted, for the benefit of younger and less 



