28 THE METHOD OP SECTION-CUTTING WITH IMPROVEMENTS, 



It is therefore necessary to place the specimen in a series of 

 mixtures of alcohol and water, getting continuously stronger until 

 it is placed in pure absolute alcohol. 



It is always connected with difficulties to procure this latter, 

 wherefore I recommend it to the workers in the colonies to make 

 it themselves. Ordinary strong not methylated spirits of wine are 

 mixed with quick lime, which will absorb all the water, and the 

 pure absolute alcohol can be distilled from this mixture of spirits 

 and quicklime. In this way the spirits which have been used can 

 always be utilised again, and the whole process will save a great 

 deal of expense in the course of time. 



Good non-methylated spirits of wine must be procured, and its 

 percentage of alcohol ascertained. The spirits of wine consists of a 

 mixture of water and absolute alcohol ; the percentage of which 

 is expressed in a most unpractical and clumsy way by the term x 

 over pi-oof. By means of an areometer it is easy to ascertain the 

 percentage of alcohol in the spirits. This mixture can then be 

 mixed with absolute alcohol or water, and any desired strength 

 produced. 



I can recommend the following mixtures for practical use, 

 30%, 50%, 70%, 90%, 100% of Alchohol in 100 parts of the 

 mixture. 



The specimen, when washed is firstly placed in 30% alchohol, 

 left there several hours, then in .50% left there for some hours, 

 then 70%, 90% and finally 100% or absolute alcohol and left in 

 each mixture 2-4 hours. In the absolute alcohol, which ought to 

 be changed once or twice, 1 2 hours to a day. 



In this way it is possible to get all the moisture out of the 

 tenderest specimen without it shrinking. 



The specimen is then placed for a few hours in a solution of 

 alcohol in ether and finally in ether, where it again should remain 

 for a day. The specimen will lie at the bottom. Chloroform is 

 then poured into the ether (Giesbrecht) and being much heavier 

 than the latter it sinks down to the bottom, whilst the ether swims 

 on the surface. The specimen then lies between the two, below the 

 etlier and above the chloroform. The ether contained in the 



