274 PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 



thought the method proposed would supersede all others in use at the 

 present time. 



Mr. Needham endorsed these remarks, and said he had been in the 

 habit of classifying his slides in physiological series, thus : — Respi- 

 ratory, digestive, &c. ; but this system had one great objection, which 

 Mr, Groves' entirely obviated, viz. that one carefully-prepared slide 

 might show a number of things which would entitle it to be placed in 

 several series, but it could not be so placed, and consequently there 

 was great and unnecessary multiplication of specimens, and, moreover, 

 there was often some difficulty in finding any given preparation, which 

 would not be the case with the system proposed. 



Mr. Giles, Dr. Matthews, Dr. Donkin, and Mr. E. B. Miller also 

 joined in the discussion. 



Mr. Sidney Coupland then proceeded to make some remarks on 

 some prej)arations which he exhibited of " Tuberculosis of the Choroid 

 coat of the Eye," in a child £et. eight years. After describing the 

 normal structures, and stating that he intended to confine himself 

 wholly to the histological characters, he said that on removing the 

 retina the tubercles were seen as translucent bodies, averaging ■^^" in 

 diameter, the centres of which were mostly opaque and white from 

 degenerative changes. The chorio-caj)illaries could be traced par- 

 tially over the tubercles. There was a marked deficiency of pigment 

 and a notable increase in the number of the large pale spheroidal 

 bodies. The tubercles were composed of nucleated cells, 4 sVtt" ^^ 

 ^-Jq^" in diameter, and with these were seen some larger and variously- 

 shaped cells, having more than one nucleus, some of which were 

 possibly derived from the normal pale spheroidal cells, though these 

 were quite as numerous. 



The tubercles appeared to arise from the middle layer of the 

 choroid, and always around the blood-vessels. In the older tubercles, 

 the central portions were made up of semi-fibrous and caseous material, 

 the peripheral alone exhibiting the small cell growth. From this 

 distribution it was evident that the growth was perivascular, and 

 thus had probably arisen from a proliferation of the endothelia of the 

 lymphatics, as in tubercle of the pia mater. 



A vote of thanks having been accorded to Mr. Coupland, the Pre- 

 sident, Messrs. Cowell, Power, Atkinson, Needham, and Miller joined 

 in the discussion. 



In reply, Mr. Coupland said he had not examined the retina mi- 

 croscopically, but that the ophthalmoscope revealed nothing abnormal. 

 The eyes had been removed two hours after death, placed in Miiller's 

 solution for two weeks, thence into a solution of gum acacia, from 

 that to methylated spirit, which rendered them horny, and ready for 

 imbedding. The gum was removed from the sections by immersion 

 in water, or by simply placing them direct into the staining fluid. 



There was a short discussion on the subject of " Finders," and the 

 meeting then resolved itself into a conversazione, when several inter- 

 esting preparations were exhibited. 



