178 THE MICROSCOPE. 



of these staining fluids, I have called the red dye fuchsin. That is 

 the name in use on the Continent for the coloring matter which in 

 England we call magenta." 



Since practice alone can enable one to recognize the bacillus 

 when he sees it, and since no wordy description could convey a true 

 likeness of it, we would advise those of our readers not already 

 familiar with it, to seize the first opportunity to visit some micros- 

 copist and familiarize himself with the appearance of the bacillus. — 

 Editorial in the Philadelphia Medical and Surgical Reporter. 



The Microscope in Medical Gynecology. — The import- 

 ance of the use of the microscopic investigations in gynecological 

 medicine cannot be over-estimated; often as a means of differential 

 diagnosis it will be found of immense value; in fact, there is nothing 

 to supply its place. Many physicians are deterred from using the 

 microscope by the erroneous idea that an elaborate instrument is 

 necessary, and that much erudition is a prerequisite. This is a 

 great mistake, and comes first of too much reading of over-crammed 

 books, which serve rather to befog and mystify their readers than to 

 symplify and elucidate the subject in hand; secondly, it is the result 

 of a want of a practical effort to acquire knowledge by experience 

 rather than by hearsay, which begets an unhealthy dependence upon 

 the opinions of others, and stunts the growth of and desire for orig- 

 inal investigation. 



For clinical microscopy no great depth of learning nor an in- 

 timate acquaintance with fine spun theories is required, but a plain, 

 practical knowledge of the names and appearance of a few of the 

 forms which the microscope reveals. It is not necessary to know 

 what every thing seen in the microscope is; it is sufficient to know 

 what it is not. Just as it is not necessary to be an accomplished 

 botanist to distinguish an oak tree from a turnip, or to be a deeply 

 learned naturalist to tell a horse from a goat, so it is unnecessary to 

 be a thorough pathologist to be able to make good use of the micro- 

 scope for clinical purposes. 



To examine the secretions and the excreta, the ability to recog- 

 nize a few dozen forms, is all that is required to commence with, 

 and increased knowledge comes unconsciously with practice. Of 

 course the more extensive the acquaintance with the various micro- 

 scopic forms the less liability there is to mistakes, and the greater 

 the power and accuracy of the microscopic analyst will be. 



