68 Tue MICROSCOPE. 
any other investigators that I am aware of, have added one 
particle of evidence, except by way of confirmation, to that 
previously advanced by me. M. Pasteur is usually very partic- 
ular in giving credit, but he does not seem to be keeping up 
with the progress of American science.” 
THE BACILLUS OF TUBERCLE. 
In a recent number of the weekly Medical Review is an 
editorial on this subject. It urges physicians to become familiar 
with the look of this parasite, and to treat the whole question as 
one “which the general practitioner can no longer conscien- 
tiously ignore.” 
The writer relates the following case, which is the first of 
the kind that has come to our notice: 
“There is further a business aspect of the case which we 
have not yet seen referred to, namely; the examination of 
doubtful cases of this kind when applying for life insurance. 
This is matter of so much financial importance to the managers 
of the insurance business that we are astonished that they have 
not yet made the matter obligatory on the part of their exam- 
ining physicians at any rate in doubtful cases. This question 
was the more forcibly brought to our minds some eight months 
ago, when a patient presented himself, complaining of some 
catarrhal difficulty. He manifested symptoms relating to the 
conformation of the chest which were markedly suspicious of 
phthisis, and in the course of investigation he stated that he 
had lately been thoroughly examined by the life insurance 
company for an increase of $10,000 in his policy. The examin- 
ing physician making the remark at the time that he ought to. 
be consumptive but that he failed to detect the proof of it. 
The examination of the sputum, however, revealed unquestion- 
ably the presence of the bacillus. Even supposing the insurance 
companies did not see fit to act upon such at present the record 
of such feats would be of great value in determining the average 
duration of life, after the development of such a phenomenon.” 
THE NEW MORPHOLOGICAL ELEMENT OF THE BLOOD. 
A very satisfactory account of this is given in Sezence, for 
Jan. 11, 1884. Hayem names the new cells, hematoblasts, but 
