218 



Journal of Applied Microscopy. 



fixative, however, very few sections are 

 lost. If it is not necessary to preserve 

 the finest histological details, the tissue 

 can be killed and decolorized at the same 

 time. The only precaution necessary to 

 make the wash-out easy and complete, is 

 to keep the tissue in the dark during the 

 decolorizing and washing processes. 

 Among the many kinds of tissues used 

 were: mantle of lamellibranchs, leeches, 

 arthropod eyes, skin of fishes, frogs and 

 vertebrates. A. M. C. 



Tellyesniczky, K. Neber die Fixiruiigs Fluessig- 

 keiten. Archlo f. Mikros. Anat., 53 : 1898. 



A short history of hardeners is followed 

 by a table of the most used fixers, and 

 then the author considers the practical 

 application of these fluids. They were 

 tried especially on the testis of the sala- 

 mander, since the cells of this tissue show 

 details remarkably well and the struc- 

 tures are well known. No single mix- 

 ture was found that completely preserved 

 the cells, but two groups were made 

 according to results. One includes osmic 

 acid and potassium bichromate, which 

 preserve the plasma contents of the cell 

 most excellently. Another included the 

 simple liquid, alcohol, chromic acid, nit- 

 ric acid, picric acid, sublimate and for- 

 mol. These destroy the plasma wholly 

 or preserve it in a more or less mangled 

 condition. Nuclear preservation is, 

 however, very good. Formol is most de- 

 structive, as it changes both nucleus and 

 cytoplasm. A two to three per cent- 

 solution of nitric acid is the best of these 

 for preserving both sets of characters. 

 Acetic acid was found to preserve the cell 

 substance most clearly, and by combin- 

 ing this with osmic acid or potassium 

 bichromate the best results were 

 obtained. These were used in the follow- 

 ing proportions: 



Potassium bichromate 3 tjrams 



Acetic Acid 5 cubic centimeters 



Water 100 cubic centimeters 



Small pieces were left in the liquid one 

 to two days, and larger for longer. They 

 were washed out in water and alcohols 

 of increasing strengths, beginning with 

 fifteen per cent. Of the well known 

 liquids, Flemming's and Lenker's were 

 satisfactory. Von Rath's Picro-osmlc- 

 acetic and Picro-sublimate-acetic were 

 less satisfactory. A. M. C. 



Auburtin, G. Beltrag zur Technic des Ausvos- 



lebens von Celloidinschnitten. Anat. Amz., 



13 : 1897. 



The author gives a description of a 



method well known in some places, but 



not generally used, for securing collodion 



sections to the slide or to each other. 



Since It seems but locally used and is 

 so successful, it will be presented in full 

 in this abstract. After the sections are 

 cut, according to the author, in seventy 



per cent, alcohol, they are arranged on a 

 slide or shallow dish or left on the knifu, 

 and all possible alcohol removed with 

 tissue or thin paper, care being taken not 

 to rub away the sections with the paper. 

 The absolute alcohol is dripped on so as 

 to push the sections together, not spread 

 them, and this allowed to stay for half a 

 minute or so. After taking up the abso- 

 lute alcohol, a mixture of ether y.nd 

 alcohol is dropped on and if enough is 

 used to cover the whole slide or the sur- 

 face on which the sections are placed, on 

 allowing it to evaporate, the sections will 

 be found firmly cemented together on tLe 

 slide. If a slide has been used the pro- 

 cess is complete; if not, the membrane 

 formed and containing the sections can 

 be carefully removed from knife or dish 

 and fastened to the slide with a thin 

 layer of collodion. This process has been 

 in use for several years in the histological 

 laboratories of Cornell University, 

 excepting that no absolute alcohol is 

 used, ether-alcohol being used alone, and 

 also that cutting is done in oil, either 

 castor-xylene or castor thyme. 



A. M. C. 



Garcia, R. Un procede nomeau et rapide de 

 ovulele coloration du Sang (Cornica media quir 

 de la Havana, 33 : No. 23). 



Red blood corpuscles in a normal condi- 

 tion take the acid stains as eosin safra- 

 nin, etc., and the leucocytes and bacteria 

 which are in the blood the basic stains 

 as fuchsin, methyl blue, etc., and the pro- 

 toplasmic granules of the leucocytes the 

 neutral dyes. A very simple method of 

 accomplishing this result is as folio ivs: 

 A small drop of blood and a drop of ster- 

 ile bouillon are placed on a cover, with 

 a sterile platinum needle. These drops 

 are mixed and spread evenly on the 

 cover. The preparation is dried by plac- 

 ing the cover on a slide and pa.ssing it 

 through the flame of a lamp or gas jet, 

 the slide forming a protection from too 

 much heat; less than a minute usually 

 suffices. Then the preparation is stained 

 in eosin, first followed by methylen blue 

 (plain solutions) washed in water and 

 mounted in balsam, the whole process 

 taking five minutes or so. The author 

 thinks it best to use eosin, first follow- 

 ing it with the methylin blue. The 

 advantage of the bouillon as a dilutant 

 is in its being free from crystals. 



A. M. C. 



Pappenheiiii, A. Ueber Eutwicklung und Aus- 

 bildung der Erythroblasten (Virchowf's Arch. 

 145: 1898). 



In an earlier paper the relations 

 between megaloblasts and normoblasts 

 were considered, and in reference to the 

 great diagnostic and prognostic signifi- 

 cance of megaloblasts, a new investiga- 

 tion seemed needed into the relations of 

 these cells with anaemia. The most 



