7Q SUMMARY OF CURRENT EBSEA.RCB Ks RELATING TO 



from time bo time. These include the carrying out of serological tests, 

 experiments on chemiotaxis, dissections and inoculations into living cells. 

 A special form of pipette is needed for the latter purpose. Either hard 

 or soft glass may be used. A piece of tubing about 35 cm. long is bent 

 at one end into the form shown in fig. i). The tip of the convoluted 

 portion is drawn out into a coarse capillary, inserted into a cup of 

 mercury, and rilled by exhausting the tube at the straight end, the tube 

 being heated before filling ; the aperture is then sealed off. The end of 

 the arm is next drawn out into a straight capillary about 8 cm. long and 

 0'5 to 0"8 mm. external diameter. The pipette is then filled with 

 mercury to the tip of the capillary, the loop being gently heated and the 

 tip immersed in mercury. The mercury in the capillary is then retracted 

 by immersing the loop in ice water, and the pipette point made in the 

 micro-burner in the usual way. A special form of apparatus is needed 

 for the regulation of the temperature of the loop (see fig. 9). The 

 cup c, containing ice and water, can be raised or lowered by means of 

 ratchet and pinion, or swung aside. The inoculating substance is intro- 

 duced into the capillary tip by raising the cup and thus lowering the 

 temperature of the mercury. The tip is then inserted into the cell 

 selected for inoculation, and the mercury in the loop expanded by lower- 

 ing the cup containing the ice-water ; the inoculating substance being 

 driven out by pressure into the substance of the cell body. 



Diagnosis of Asiatic Cholera.* — B. C. Cromwell has investigated 

 a series of cases post mortem, with the view of ascertaining how far 

 cholera can be diagnosed from the gross pathological lesions without 

 having recourse to bacteriological examination. Ninety-two cases were 

 examined in all, and while it was ascertained that no anatomical feature 

 was in constant evidence, a diagnosis of cholera might be based on the 

 following features : — Acute catarrhal enteritis associated with (1) cyanotic 

 finger nails ; (2) dry tissues ; (3) oligemia ; (4) dry and sticky peritoneum, 

 with pink serosa of the ileum ; (5) contracted and empty urinary 

 bladder ; (6) shrunken, dry spleen and liver ; (7) acute degeneration of 

 parenchymatous organs ; (8) poorly coagulated blood ; (9) absence of 

 formed fasces ; (10) presence of " rice water stools 1 ' ; and (11) prominence 

 of lymphoid tissue in the ileum. Comparison of anatomical and 

 bacteriological findings led to an identity of diagnosis in eighty-seven 

 cases. Five cases anatomically negative were proved to be positive on 

 bacteriological examination. 



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



New Spencer Rotary Microtome.f — The Spencer Lens Co. have 

 set themselves to remedy the defect usually found in rotary microtomes, 

 viz., want of accuracy in cutting, one after another, sections of definite 

 uniform thickness. They claim to have accomplished this by making 



* Philippine Journ. Sci., ix. (1914) pp. 361-5. 



t Special Pamphlet, Spencer Lens Co., Buffalo, New York. 



