312 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Staining Pearls in Mussels.* — F. Alverdes used the pearls found 

 in various kinds of mussels. The pearls with the surrounding tissue 

 were cut out and then placed in the fixative, either Zenker or Flemming. 

 Owing to the nature of these fluids the resulting decalcification was 

 attended with rupture of the pearly layers and distortion of the tissue. 

 In order to avoid this, acid-free fluids were used, Midler's fluid and 

 sublimate-alcohol (equal parts of saturated aqueous sublimate solution 

 and absolute alcohol) for fixation, the material being afterwards decal- 

 cified with 2 p.c. nitric acid, and later embedded in celloidin or in clove- 

 oil-collodion. The sections were stained as a rule with anilin water- 

 safranin-water-blue. This staining solution is composed of anilin water, 

 200 c.cm. ; absolute alcohol, 100 c.cm. ; safranin, 1 grin. The water- 

 blue was made up with either an aqueous or alcoholic solution of picric 

 acid. The staining is done by first thoroughly treating the sections with 

 the safranin solution and then differentiating with 96 p.c. alcohol. The 

 sections are then placed for a few minutes in the water-blue. In this 

 way a multiple staining is obtained, and which is most effective if the 

 fixation has been done with Flemming. Control stainings were made 

 with hematoxylin and eosin, and with anilin-water safranin. In the 

 last case the staining is differentiated with hydrochloric-acid-alcohol 

 (1 : 1000). 



Rapid Romanowsky Stain. f — G. Giemsa, for the rapid staining of 

 films, recommends the use of a staining solution containing azur-n-eosin 

 3 grm., azur ■ 3 grni., and glycerin 25 grm. in 475 grin, of methyl- 

 alcohol. About 15 drops of this solution are applied to the unfixed 

 film, and left in contact for about half a minute. Then diluted stain 

 (10 drops of stain to 10 c.cm. of distilled water) is put on the slide for 

 a period of ten minutes. The film is then washed in distilled water,, 

 dried, and mounted. 



Studying the Musculature of Flies.i — J. Thulin, in studying the 

 musculature of flies, used chiefly Hydrophilus ficeus. For fixation the 

 strong Flemming solution was injected into the living animal, which was 

 thereby almost instantly killed. The material was then treated with 

 acetum pyrolignosum rectificatum and 1 p.c. chromic acid solution, and 

 afterwards with bichromate of potassium. The paraffin sections were 

 made in the usual way, the preparation of the section (1 to 3 fx) was 

 aided by the use of an alcoholic mastic solution. The sections were 

 stained with sodium alizarin sulphate and crystal-violet. Photographs 

 were taken with the Vogel-Obernetter silver eosin plates, which are very 

 valuable for their sensitiveness to colour. 



Modification of Pal's Method of Staining Medullated Nerves. § 

 J. G. Schnitzler employs the following modification of Pal's method. 

 The material is fixed with formalin or placed at once in 2*5 p.c. 



* Zeitschr. wiss. Zool., cv. (1913) pp. 598-633 (2 pis.), 

 t Ceutralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Orig., lxxxiii. (1914) pp. 493-6. 

 I Anat. Hefte, xlvi. (1912) pp. 189-252 (12 pis.). 

 § Neurol. Centralbl., xxxii. (1913) pp. 483-5. 



