212 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



means of clamps or screws. This plan enables one to use speci- 

 mens at will, not being compelled to finish with one before an- 

 other can be cut, as is generally the case with those machines 

 which embed the object in a well. 



Small adjustments for changing the plane of section, may 

 be made by moving the blade, one end of which is slotted so 

 as to be clamped in different positions. One end of the blade 

 being fixed, sliding the other end fotzvard or pushing it back- 

 ward has the effect of changing the plane of section. This is 

 convenient also for adjusting whenever the brain has been re- 

 moved from the machine and it is desired to replace it so as to 

 continue cutting in the same plane as on a former occasion. 

 Larger adjustments are conveniently made by wedging the fiber 

 as it is clamped to the carriage. 



The sections thus made are easily handled by floating a 

 sheet of paper under them, by which they may be lifted from 

 the alcohol, stained and mounted in balsam like any other spec- 

 imen. For gross anatomy an unstained section mounted in 

 gum glycerine makes a very nice preparation showing white and 

 grey matter in their natural colors. 



The slides thus made furnish a clean, neat and easily hand- 

 led specimen which can serve to demonstrate either macroscopic 

 or microscopic structures. A series, taken at intervals of, say 

 from one to two centimeters, and in each of the three directions, 

 gives about as complete a picture of the anatomy of the brain, 

 as could be desired. 



The cost of this first machine has been about 1^150. Con- 

 siderable difficulty was experienced in finding anyone who 

 would undertake to make a blade of such large dimensions, 

 warranted to be of uniform temper throughout, and to preserve 

 a perfectly true and straight edge, without warping or twisting 

 out of shape. After consulting several of the manufacturers 

 of microtome knives, both abroad and in this country, we fin- 

 ally found in Worcester a firm that was willing to undertake the 

 work. Accordingly the blade was made by Loring Goes & Co. 

 It consists of a soft iron body (thus doing away with the danger 



