88 THE MICROSCOPE. June 



flat bottle. "As a g-eneral rule old dark looking-, but still 

 sound and g-reen branches will be the best." By placing- 

 them in a flat bottle, they may be examined with a pocket 

 lens. 



bealk's cakminr. 



Carmine lo grains 



Strong liquor of ammonia yi drachma 



Glycerine 2 ox 



Distilled water 2 02 



Alcoliol /^ 02 



Dissolve carmine in the ammonia in a test tube by aid of 

 heat ; boil it and cool and add other ingredients. Filter. 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Chemistry in the Diagnosis of Bacteria. — Dr. Fritz 

 Kiessling- -calls attention to the importance of this subject. 

 It is a well-known fact that the differentiation of the colon 

 bacillus from the typhoid fever g-erm offered serious diffi- 

 culties till Dr. Theobald Smith used the fermentation tube 

 test in differential diag-nosis. Dr. Kiessling callsattention 

 to such well-known physiolog-ical properties as peptonising- 

 of g-elatin and blood serum. Such products of vital activ- 

 ity as the coloring- of the jnedium as is bacillus pyocyaiicus. 

 Attention is called to acid and alkaline curdling of milk. 

 Species that have the power of reducing nitrates to nitrites, 

 the production of indol. Phenol is another common pro- 

 duct. The production of acids and alkaline substances, 

 scatol, kreatine. Acid or alkaline condition of the medium 

 is important. Kiessling mentions many other substances 

 that must be taken into account for special organisms. — 

 Pharmaceutische Rundschau. 



Oysters and Feeble Digestion. — One of the interesting 

 observations made recently in the bacteriological depart- 

 ment of the laboratory was in relation to the number of 

 microbes in oyster juice. It was found that 1 c.c. of oys- 

 ter juice produced in an agar culture, 1,50(),()()0 colonies. 

 The observation entirely justifies the position of the late 



