404 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



with blotting-paper. Strips of filter-paper, 8-12 mm. thick, are now placed 

 on the slide, and pressure applied with the finger. This removes the 

 remains of the alcohol, and presses the section into the albumen. The 

 filter-paper strips are then removed, and the slide is at once immersed 

 in distilled water, where it remains until required for further treatment 

 (staining, &c). Slides thus treated may remain in the water for a whole 

 day without detriment ; but if not required for several days it is better 

 to place them in 70 per cent, alcohol. 



The albumen is best coagulated by placing the slides for some 

 minutes in an incubator at about 100° C. 



Encain Hydrochloride as a Narcotising Agent.* — Mr. G. T. Harris 

 extols the virtues of encain hydrochloride (Beta-encain) as a narcotising 

 agent. He has found it give far better results than cocain, and has tried 

 it on Vorticellidae, Eotatoria, and Vermes. Mr. Eousselet also reports 

 favourably as to its action on PlosculariaB. A 1 per cent, solution is 

 recommended. It is stated to be perfectly stable in aqueous media. 



Method for obtaining Thin Laminae of Minerals.! — M. F. Stober 

 recommends the following procedure for reducing granules of minerals 

 and stones to thin laminse. Upon a large cover-glass lying on a slide is 

 placed some Canada balsam. This is liquefied by heat, and then some 

 of the powder to be examined dropped in. The balsam is now covered 

 with a piece of paper, and over this is placed a thin piece of rubber, and 

 then another slide. Pressure is now made so that the grains may sink 

 into the soft balsam and settle on the upper side of the cover-glass. 

 When the balsam has become hard, the slides and paper are removed, 

 and the grains ground down flat and even with fine emery. Some balsam 

 is now placed on a slide, and the preparation with the ground surface 

 downwards placed thereon. The balsam is now heated, and pressure 

 applied as before. When the balsam has become hard, the cover-glass 

 is sprung off, paper is placed on the smooth surface, and the preparation 

 again heated and pressed so that the grains with their ground side may 

 firmly adhere to the slide. The other surface is now ground until the 

 granules are sufficiently thin, and then the preparation is provided 

 with a cover-glass. In the same way thin sections may be transferred 

 from one slide to another. 



Peculiar Diffusion Movements of Microscopic Objects.}: — Dr. J. 

 Katz calls attention to some peculiar movements observed in a recently 

 mounted specimen of sputum containing tubercle bacilli. Some six 

 hours after having been treated with xylol and then mounted in chloro- 

 form-balsam, the bacilli were observed to exhibit active movements. In 

 character the movements were trembling and undulatory, and recalled 

 the appearance of spirilla in motion. The origin of the movements is 

 ascribed to diffusion currents arising out of the use of xylol as a 

 clarifying agent and of chloroform- balsam as a mounting medium. 



Slide Labelling.§ — Prof. G. J. Peirce mentions a neat device for 

 labelling slides. One end is painted with a very thin solution of balsam. 



* Illust. Ann. Microscopy, 1900, pp. 28-9. 



t Bull. Soc. FranQ. de Mineral., xxii. (1899) pp. 61-6. See Zeitschr. f. wiss. 

 Mikr., xvi. (1900) p. 516. J Zeitschr. f. wiss. Mikr., xvi. (1900) pp. 431-3. 



§ Journ. App. Microscopy, ii. (1899) p. 627 (1 fig.). 



