l888.] NEW-YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 19 



THALLOPHYTES IN MEDICINAL SOLUTIONS.* 



BY ROBERT G. ECCLES, M. D. 



{Read before '■' The Medical Microscopical Society of Brooklyn^' N. Y., October 



Stk, 1887.) 



Most educated Pharmacists are aware of the fact, that 

 aqueous supplies of medicine are subject to pollution during 

 warm weather, even if prepared with, what is ordinarily con- 

 sidered, scrupulous care as to cleanliness. Unidentified forms 

 of cryptogamous vegetation develop therein from spores, which 

 the air, water, drug or vessel supplies. Finding proper condi- 

 tions for development, they soon form slimy, stringy masses of 

 what is no doubt the mycelium of plants, which on more solid 

 support would fructify aerially. Soda water and ginger ale 

 dealers have the same pests to contend with. Technically they 

 speak of their beverages as " ropy " when so infected. Among 

 the branching masses are usually found great numbers of motile 

 bacteria and micrococci. 



It is now becoming a pretty well understood fact that these 

 lower forms of life protrude their unwelcome presence wherever 

 anything can be found for them to live upon. No longer is 

 civilized man compelled to contend with wild beasts for the 

 mastery of the earth. Lions, tigers, wolves and hyenas are 

 almost entirely suppressed. Guns and bows now give place to 

 microscopes and culture tubes, as we hunt up foes our fathers 

 knew not. They were then even more subject to attack from 

 this quarter than we are, but fancied they had to deal with 

 demons, or visitations of heaven for their sinfulness. We can 

 still truthfully say, however, that their name is legion. 



These lowly organisms wage incessant war upon our foods, 

 beverages, and medicines, and as is now well known spare not 

 even our bodies. Butchers, bakers, millers, grocers, fish-men, 

 farmers, fruit-dealers and gardeners all have to fight them. To 

 their presence is due all kinds of sickening deteriorations and 

 decompositions. Their approach to omnipresence has given 

 rise to the canning of milk, meat, fish and vegetables, and to 

 the keeping and transportation of such goods by refrigeration. 

 They wage incessant and relentless war against biological weak- 



* For the illustrations of this article we are indebted to the courtesy of the Editor 

 of the Pharmaceutical Record. 



