Journal of Applied Microscopy. 555 



washed in large jars. Under such circumstances a large funnel will 

 be needed, usually with a wide angle. If the neck of the funnel is not long 

 enough to go to the bottom of the jar, a piece of rubber tubing is attached. 

 If the buoyancy of the specimen is such that it floats or shifts the funnel, 

 a piece of brick or a whole brick, or some other equally weighty object, 

 is placed in the funnel. Very few bottles or jars will be found in which the 

 flange of the funnel will fit sufficiently close to preclude the constant flow of a 

 medium sized stream of water. Of course, should a bottle be found fitting so 

 very tightly, it will only be necessary to place a little piece of wire or string 

 between the flange of the funnel and the neck of the bottle. The wire gauze 

 shown for raising one bottle upon the funnel beneath, is not strictly necessary ; 

 in fact we have used it but very little, usually finding that the bottle will readily 

 keep its place in the funnel, and will permit water to flow by it to continue the 

 washing of the bottles beneath. The quantity of water flowing through the jars 

 is determined by the size of the opening in the funnel ; any excess simply flows 

 over the edge of the funnel and mixes with the water, which has taken the course 

 indicated by the arrows. One great advantage of the method is that, no matter 

 what the head of water may be, high or low, or how irregular and inconstant the 

 flow, no damage is likely to occur to the specimen. All bottles which depend 

 upon siphonage for changing the water are open to certain objections. For 

 example, if for any reason inflow is arrested just at the time siphonage is occur- 

 ing, the specimen may be left with an insufiicient quantitj^ of water upon it. 

 Where apparatus for washing requires direct connection with the water supply, 

 sudden alterations in pressure or occasional back suction (siphonal action) may 

 lead to disastrous results. 



Where the water supply may contain particles of dirt, we sometimes tie a bunch 

 of absorbent cotton over the mouth of the spigot ; where a Pasteur or other 

 efficient filter is attached to the spigot, this is not necessary. If the bottles are 

 numbered or otherwise marked by a wax pencil, the markings will not rub off, or 

 if the label is simply pasted on, and a thin layer of paraffin rubbed over it, there 

 will be no trouble during the washing process. The same principle can be 

 applied for washing sections cemented on the slide, and placed in a Jefferson 

 staining jar. 



Remarks. — As stated in the beginning of the paper, we have no doubt that 

 similar appliances have been utilized by, possibly, a number of workers ; we 

 claim no originality, and simply say that no search has been made through the 

 literature for descriptions of anything anologous. All of the appliances above 

 described have been used for a number of years, and have given satisfaction. 



W. M. L. CoPLiN, M. D., Director. 

 P. A. Sheaff, Undergraduate Assistant. 

 Laboratories of the Jefferson Medical College Hospital. 



