1896 THE MICROSCOPE. 125 



queiit blow in the same spot bring-s an exclamation on ac 

 count of the hurt. This, while a common practice, is by 

 no means a wise one. The air is full of floating- disease- 

 germs, especially the air of cities and towns, and an injury 

 of this sort, be it ever so slight, might furnish excellent 

 breeding ground for some deadly bacteria. It is a good 

 plan always to keep a bottle of prepared carbolic acid and 

 glycerine, and frequently touch all bruises or sore spots 

 with it. This is one of the most convenient and effective 

 germicides imag-inable. It is believed that many cases of 

 fever and other serious ailments can be contracted by a 

 floating germ coming in contact with the abraded skin. 

 Once snugly lodged in this most congenial dwelling place, 

 the germ multiplies with amazing rapidity and soon over- 

 runs the entire system. Therefore, whenever there is a 

 bruise or scratch, or any injury of this sort, germicidal 

 applications should be at once resorted to. — English Mechamc. 



Air in Paris. — Not infrequently the pursuit of microbe 

 and germ theories leads people to absurd conclusions. In 

 the Annales de Micrographie, M. Miquel gives statistics 

 for ten years of the numbers of bacteria in a cubic metre 

 of air, both in the centre of Paris and in the park of Mont- 

 souris. In consequence of local improvements, the air in 

 the park has gradually become purer, the number of bac- 

 teria having decreased from 480 per cubic metre in 1884 

 to 275 in 1893; but the air in Paris itself has increased in 

 micro-organisms from 3,480 in 18()4 to 6,040 in 1893. This 

 large increase. Nature sa3's, M. Miquel attributes to the 

 greater cleanliness of the inhabitants, who b}' dusting out 

 and cleaning their houses and shaking carpets, &c., stir a 

 large quantity of germs into the air. He even goes so far 

 as to condemn this form of cleanliness, on the g-round that 

 the germs are simply blown about by the wind, and find 

 their way into the houses again, so that if you do not get 

 your own germs back, those from your neighbors fly in 

 at the window instead. 



Butter from Sterilized Milk, — A machine has been in- 

 vented bv a Swedish engineer which will transform steri- 



