80 THe Microscope. 
specially corrected eye-piece would give a still greater advan- 
tage, I could not say without trying it. I am disposed to be- 
lieve that it would, and possibly advantage enough to justify 
the expense and inconvenience of its use. 
THE DETECTION OF RENAL TUBE CASTS. 
A. Y. MOORE. 
| have seen so many amusing mistakes made by physicians 
while making microscopical examinations for tube casts, that 
I should like to call attention to some sources of error, which; 
while being of small importance to some persons are matters of 
almost life and death to others. 
Some time ago I was present when a physician was exam- 
ining several bottles of urine for tube casts. He seemed to think 
it very strange that all of the bottles contained large granular 
casts. After some time, an idea seemed to strike him and he 
said: ‘*‘ Here, Moore, what’s that?” I looked to see, and found 
a rather deep scratch in the slide which was very much like a 
large granular cast in appearance. It was this scratch, upon 
which was based the diasnosis of “ Bright’s Disease” in each 
case. 
Is it any wonder that such a case of “ Bright’s Disease” 
should be cured by a change—not of climate—but of slide / 
About a year ago I met a physician who had one of my 
slides of tubecasts. After talking for some time about the value 
of the microscope as a means of diagnosis. he said “Do you 
know, I can’t find a cast on that slide!” That impressed me as 
being rather strange; so I looked over the slide with his 1-6 in. 
objective. I found a large number of casts and showed them 
to him. ‘ Well! Are those tube casts! I thought they were col- 
umnar epithelium.” Yet he was one of the “leading physi- 
cians!” 
Such cases are coming to light nearly every day ; and, is it 
to be wondered at, that some persons consider the microscope 
as “all bosh” (whatever that may mean) and condemn it as a 
“plaything not worth thinking about! ” 
On the other hand may be found an equal blunder. A pa- 
tient will take a bottle of his urine to his “‘ family physician ” 
and request him to examine it with his new instrument (which 
