252 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



means of a sliding microtome. The block is kept moistened with 65 p.c. 

 alcohol. Each section, as it is cut, is transferred to a slide, cleared with 

 oil of cloves, and washed free of celloidin with absolute alcohol and 

 mixed alcohol and ether. Maximow uses a large number of staining 

 methods, of which he recommends particularly the iron-alum-hamiato- 

 xylin method, Giemsa stain and Doniinici's eosin-orange-toluidin-blne 

 process. 



Examining the Structure of Human Heart-muscle.* — Irene von 

 Palschewska fixed the material mostly in a mixture of absolute alcohol 

 90, and pure 25 p.c. nitric acid 10. The pieces used, about 8 mm. thick, 

 were left in the fluid for about 24 hours, and when removed were trans- 

 ferred to faintly alkaline 94 p.c. alcohol, and this was renewed daily. 

 After a few days, ammonia-free alcohol was used. The alcohol was 

 afterwards downgraded to water for staining purposes, and the staining 

 was effected with hamialum. 



Marie Werner t fixed her material in the 10 p.c. nitric acid and 

 absolute alcohol 90 p.c. mixture, and then washed out with 94 p.c. 

 alcohol, until litmus paper was no longer reddened. She found that 

 neutralisation with ammoniated alcohol impaired the picture. The pre- 

 parations were stained with haemalum (1 part to 5-10 water). The 

 pieces remained in the stain for 8 days. 



New Methods for Examining Sputum. :j: — P. Uhlenhuth recom- 

 mends his antiformin method for demonstrating the presence of tubercle 

 bacilli, By means of a 20-25 p.c. solution, the sputum is rendered 

 quite homogeneous. It is then centrifuged, and the deposit washed 

 with saline. As the antiformin kills off the associated bacteria, it may 

 be used for obtaining pure cultures of human tubercle bacilli. 



H. Haserodt is of opinion that the foregoing antiformin method has 

 a great disadvantage : the film does not fix well to the slide ; and recom- 

 mends the following modification. The sputum should first be rendered 

 homogeneous by means of caustic potash, and then shaken up with 

 ligroin. A combination of the antiformin and ligroin methods gives 

 good results. 



G. Bernhardt proceeds as follows : About 5 c.cm. of sputum and 

 20 c.cm. of a 20 p.c. solution of commercial antiformin are placed in a 

 stoppered bottle. When quite homogeneous, ligroin, to form a layer 

 3-5 mm. thick, is poured in. The bottle is then vigorously shaken, 

 until a thick suspension forms ; it is then left at room temperature for 

 about half an hour, and afterwards loopfuls of the layer immediately 

 underneath the ligroin are removed. Films are fixed and stored in the 

 usual way. 



H. Hammerl uses a solution composed of 99 parts ammonia and 

 1 part caustic potash. A mixture of 5 parts of the solution to 1 of 

 sputum is then vigorously shaken. In a few minutes it is quite homo- 

 geneous. To 15 c.cm. of the mixture are added 5 c.cm. acetone. This 



& 



* Arch. Mikr. Anat. u . Entwickl., lxxv. (1910) pp. 41-100 (18 figs.). 



t Tom. cit., pp. 101-48(53 figs.). 



X Centralbl. Bakt., lte Abt. Ref., xlv. (1909) pp. 282-4. 



