THE BACTERIA FALLACY ILLUSTRATED. 233 
seems to be, to screw down until something gives. We admired 
Mr. Gill's care and watchfulness of the tenth, in this instance, 
though there were times at which he was absent, and damage 
might have been done; still we did think he might have offered 
to show us the capabilities of this wonderful glass. 
In one corner, but badly displayed, as if ashamed of their own 
incongruity of form, stood several old microscopes which had been 
lent by the Council of the Royal Microscopical Society. An en- 
giscope of American manufacture, one of Martin’s microscopes, 
and an old instrument made by Culpepper. A similar instrument 
to this last, the property of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society, 
was also exhibited by the side of one of Messrs. Powell and Lea- 
land’s best stands, and formed an excellent contrast, though it 
should be remembered that Martin and Culpepper lived before the 
last half-century. 
At the Guildhall we noticed a placard inviting demonstrations, 
and there is no doubt that had the department been placed in 
proper hands, the microscopical display would have formed one of 
the most attractive features of the Jubilee Meeting, and seeing 
that it failed most signally to indicate the progress made in micro- 
scopical instruments during the past fifty years, an effort should 
have been made to substitute an attractive for an intellectual feast. 
As it was, the placing of the microscopes against a dead wall ren- 
dered artificial illumination necessary, even at noon-day, while had 
a series of tables been placed round the telescopes in the centre, 
sufficient illumination could have been obtained for the exhibition 
of most objects from the diffused light of the building. Mr. Gill 
seemed anxious to inform us that the instruments had been lent 
by his friends, and were left in his charge, but with the exception 
of the watchfulness bestowed on the tenth objective which focussed 
a two-hundredth of an inch from the object, we do not think he 
distinguished himself in any very great degree. 
LHE BACTERIA FALLAEGY ILLUSTRATED: 
By R. R. Grece.* 
HE following cuts illustrate and expose the great bacteria fallacy, 
and show the three classified forms of so-called bacteria, in 
diphtheria, to be nothing more than the three stages in the fibrilla- 
tion of fibrin, of which the diphtheritic membranes are composed. 
All the membranes of diphtheria are wholly, or almost wholly, 
composed of fibrin. 
*A paper extracted by “The Microscope,” U.S.A., from the Buffalo “‘ Investigator.” 
’ 
