464 SUMMAEY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Staining Leishmania in Sections.* — L. Nattan-Larrier gives the 

 followinij: methods for staining Leishmania in sections : — 1. Staining 

 with carholthionin : 80 min. in carbolthionin ; wash in distilled water ; 

 dehydrate rapidly in absolute alcohol ; differentiate for long time in oil 

 of cloves, then absolute alcohol ; clear in xylol. The nucleus and the 

 centrosome are stained a deep blue. 2. Staining with nuclear black 

 and carbolthionin : Stain for a quarter of an hour in nuclear black ; 

 wash copiously in distilled water ; stain for half an hour in carbol- 

 thionin ; wash in distilled water : dehydrate quickly in absolute alcohol ; 

 differentiate in oil of cloves, then alcohol until only the nuclei seem to 

 be coloured. Tlie nuclei and the centrosomes are stained a greenish- 

 grey ; the contour of the parasite is stained blue and stands out clearly 

 against the grey protoplasm of the cells. Staining with alum-carmine 

 and carbolthionin : Stain for 24 hours in alum-carmine ; wash in 

 distilled water, and then stain for half an hour in carliolthionin ; 

 differentiate in oil of cloves until a microscopical examination shows 

 that the protoplasm of the cells is of a rose-colour ; wash quickly in 

 absolute alcohol ; clear in xylol. 



Intra-vitam Staining'.t — E. Gollman discusses his researches in this 

 field of vital staining, and shows how, by the injection of vital stains 

 into living animals, valuable histological and pathological researches may 

 be carried out. For small animals subcutaneous, for larger intraperi- 

 toneal injections are recommended. Of trypan-blue and isamin-blue, 

 injections of 1 c.c. of a 1 p.c. solution per 20 grammes of body-weight 

 of the animal may be used. Weekly injections of this kind may be 

 repeated several times with safety. Both dyes allow of fixation by 10 p.c. 

 formaUn solution (best applied from the beating heart of the anaesthe- 

 tized animal). Specimens fixed with formalin for 48 hours may be 

 frozen and sections cut, counterstained, dehydrated, and mounted. As 

 counterstain alum-carmin may be used, but for connective-tissue studies 

 Pappenlieim-Unna's pyrronin methyl-green, and for leucocytic analysis 

 Ehrlich's triacid mixture are useful. The author discusses also the for- 

 mula of certain new vital stains, including trypan-violet, diamin-blue BB, 

 diamin-black BH, vital neu-rot, vital neu-orange, vital neu-gelb and 

 dianil-blue R. 



The remainder of the paper is devoted to a consideration of normal 

 and morbid histological observations founded upon applications of this 

 method. In another communication | the author details certain bio- 

 chemical studies based upon the same procedures, which illustrate cellular 

 activities in health and disease. 



Staining Bacterial Capsules. § — G. Baehr and Y. Kautor, after a 

 resume of the methods of Welch, Hiss, Buerger, and others for the 

 demonstration of the capsules of l:>acteria, criticize the methods of Welch 

 and Hiss, in which the film is dried previous to fixation, as this has a 

 deleterious effect upon the capsule. Buerger's method and the osmic 

 vapour method of Weidenrich are free from this objection. Methods 

 which leave an albuminous menstruum are objectionable, as pseudo- 



* C.R. Soc. Biol., Ixxii. (1912) pp.* 436-8. 



+ Proc. Roy. Soc, Series B, Ixxxv. (1912) pp. 146-56. 



i Lancet (1912) i. pp. 1183-8. 



§ Centralbl. Bakt., Ite Abt. Orig., Ixiii. (1912) pp. 120-8. 



