114 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



the macula acustica in mammals and birds, fixed the material in a 

 mixture of chromic acid, acetic acid, and formalin ; the sections were 

 stained by the molybdan-hsematoxylin method, and after-stained with 

 erythrosin, with acid rubin or with picro-fuchsin. 



Studying Development of Red Blood Cells in the Chick.*— 

 C. Price-Jones prepares films of bone marrow, spleen, liver, and 

 embryonic tissue in the following manner. Small portions of the 

 specimen are transferred to a watch-glass containing a dissociating 

 reagent : in this way an emulsion of cellular elements is obtained. The 

 dissociating solution consists of glycerin, diluted with ammonia-free 

 distilled water to form a 10 p.c. neutral solution, titrating against deci- 

 normal sodium hydrate, and using phenol-phthalein as indicator. The 

 initial acid reaction of this solution should vary from + • 1 to + • 5 

 (Eyre's Scale) ; the reagent has a specific gravity of 1029 at 15 7 C. 

 A loopful of this glycerin solution is placed on a coverslip, and to this 

 is added a loopful of the emulsion in the watch-glass, and very gently 

 spread over the surface of the slip. The film thus prepared is allowed 

 to dry in the air, without heating, until a uniform ground-glass appear- 

 ance is produced. The film is then treated as a blood-film ; it is 

 stained with Jenner's solution of rosinate of methylen-blue, and then, 

 after washing in ammonia-free distilled water and completely drying in 

 the air, is mounted in balsam. 



Demonstrating Motor End-plates. | — J. Boeke in his study of the 

 motor end-plates in the higher Yertebrata, their development, form and 

 connection with muscle fibres, used Bielschowsky's method. Fixation of 

 embryos in alcohol-formalin was preferable to aqueous formalin, and the 

 following mixture was used : formalin 10 parts, alcohol 60 p.c. 90 parts. 

 After fixation the alcohol is removed by immersion in 10 to 12 p.c. 

 formalin, and then the pieces of tissue are placed in 2 p.c. silver solution 

 for 3 to 5 days in the dark. On removal they are washed in distilled 

 water and then transferred to Bielschowsky's fulminate of silver 

 solution for 1 to 2 hours, and subsequently reduced in 20 p.c. formalin. 

 The pieces are afterwards imbedded in paraffin in the usual way. 



Researches on Blood and Connective-tissue. — A Maximow ex- 

 amined the embryos of rats, cats, rabbits, mice, and guinea-pigs. The 

 tissue was fixed in formol-Zenker. Small embryos up to 12 mm. in 

 length were immersed in toto in the warm fluid ; larger ones were 

 incised to facilitate the entrance of fluid. The fixation lasted from 

 3 to 5 hours, after which the objects were washed and then placed in 

 upgraded iodine-alcohols, and when dehydrated were imbedded in 

 ceffoidin. Serial sections were stained with eosin-azur or with Giemsa. 

 Iron-haematoxylin was not so useful. 



Hardening and Imbedding the Eggs of Temnocephala fasciata.§ 

 The difference in consistence between the eggshell and the contents gives 



* Journ. Pathol, and Bacterid., xiv. (1909) pp. 218-23 (1 pi.). 

 t Anat. Anzeig., xxxv. (1909) pp. 193-226 (40 figs, in text and 1 pi.). 

 X Arch. Mikrosk. Anat. u. Entwickl., lxxiv. (1909) pp. 525-621 (3 pis.). 

 § Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci., liv. (1908) pp. 417-18. 



