196 Tue Microscope. 
« 
acid, hippuric acid, etc. The presence of these materials in the 
blood gave rise to pain and swelling by interrupting the 
equable flow of blood through the vessels. Sometimes large 
collections of these snarled threads of fibrin entirely biocked 
some larger vessel and produced death. The value of the 
microscope was shown in two ways: Aiding in diagnosis, and 
by pointing out the exact conditions by which a course of 
treatment would most likely be of use. 
—~ 0 
FUNGI FOUND IN SEWERAGE EFFLUENTS. 
BY A. W. BENNETT. 
W. BENNETT, the distinguished London botanist, read 
* a very valuable paper on “Fungi Found in Sewage 
Effluents.” In the introduction he stated that he had been 
engaged in examining under the microscope the vegetable 
organisms in the effluent water for the purification of sewage. 
One important organism found is what is called “sewage 
fungus.” It forms dense flaccolent grayish white masses at- 
tached to the bottom or side of the channel, or to ordinary 
green algze. The microscope shows it to be composed of an im- 
mense quantity of colorless threads, with but little or no 
chlorophyll, full of granular protoplasm, and containing a num- 
ber of bright, strongly refractive globular particles. The views 
of different authors concerning the sewage fungus were given. 
His closing sentences were as follows: 
“Tt appears, therefore, to have the power of extracting 
sulphur, not only from decomposing organic matter, but also 
from the mineral sulphates dissolved in spring water. Sulphur 
may be set free in this way by the mutual decomposition of 
soluble sulphides and sulphites. Independently of the source 
of sulphur is the organic matter present in the sewage itself. 
There is an abundant supply of this element in the substances 
used for purifying or precipitating the sewage, which are 
usually sulphate of alumina, lime and photo-phosphate of iron. 
The growth of the so-called “sewage fungus ” must undoubt- 
edly, therefore, be regarded as evidence of the presence in the 
water of an abnormal amount of sulphates, derived either 
directly from sewage or the substances used in precipitating it, 
—— 
