568 



aldehyde when we wrote 2 •'/o formol, we are at a loss to see, for, as 

 he himself states, there is nothing in the text of our paper to lead 

 to this conclusion. The note which is appended to our communication, 

 and which Lee quotes as the evidence of our mistaken use of the terms 

 formol and formaldehyde, contains, so far as it bears on the point in 

 question, the implication that 40 "/o formaldehyde is called formol, a 

 statement that we believe to be perfectly true and that Lee himself 

 makes. Indeed this note was added in order that there might be no 

 possibility of misunderstanding what fluid we used. As these are the 

 only objections raised against our communication and as they appear 

 to us to be without foundation, we are not prepared to admit that we 

 are responsible for any confusion concerning our paper. 



Lee suggests the abandonment of the expression percents of 

 formol and our formula when rewritten in conformity to his idea 

 would appear as follows: 



Of the mixture of 2 volumes of formol and 



98 volumes of water 4 volumes. 



Alcohol 95% 6 



For the sake of consistency, however, the same method of ex- 

 pression ought to be used for the alcohol, i. e. 95 volumes of alcohol 

 and 5 volumes of water. These expressions seem to us unnecessarily 

 cumbersome, and, as they are in no way more precise or less ambi- 

 guous to one familiar with the meaning of percent than the expressions 

 we used formerly, we prefer the latter. 



In conclusion we wish to state that a half year's experience with 

 the method justifies our confidence in it. A sheep's brain that 

 was preserved in June (see Anatomischer Anzeiger, XI, p. 158) and 

 whose original volume was 101 cubic centimeters is now to all appear- 

 ances in excellent preservation and measures 102 cubic centimeters. 

 The brain has been kept continuously in the fluid in which it was 

 hardened. 



It may be of interest to add that an American firm of chemists 

 is now off"ering for sale a 40**/o solution of formaldehyde in water 

 under the new name of for mal ose. 



Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A. 

 Nov. 27, 1895. 



