On the Connection of Nerves and Chromoblasts. 289 



contraction whenever the nerve is acted on. In this case there 

 would remain to be found the termination of the nervous elements, 

 on the course of which the chromoblasts would be thus arranged. 

 Fig. 3 a appears on this subject to deserve attention. It exhibits 

 a nervous thread which, it is true, is not characterized by the 

 presence of a nucleus. This filament came in contact with a 

 chromoblast, having quite a peculiar aspect. The contractile sub- 

 stance seemed loaded with pigmentary granulations on one side of 

 a long and narrow nucleus, which presented all the characters of a 

 nucleus of nervous fibre, and not at all those of the large irregular 

 nuclei which usually accompany sarcodic bodies, and which are 

 represented in Fig. 3 h, Fig. 2, Fig. 8 d. 



Are we to suppose that the nuclei of the nervous fibres may in 

 certain circumstances themselves become nuclei of chromoblasts, by 

 changing their characters and undergoing a true metamorphosis. 

 Or must we see, in the representation which we had under our eyes, 

 only a chromoblast deprived of nucleus, and lying close to a ner- 

 vous fibre at the level of one of the nuclei of the latter, giving us 

 an instance of the simple union by contact of which we spoke. 



We repeat, that these observations may require to be extended 

 in certain directions ; and although we are of opinion that we may 

 now infer from them the reality of the connection between the 

 nervous and the sarcodic elements, a connection conformable to 

 theory, we cannot assert that the nature of this connection is yet 

 completely known. 



PKOGKESS OF MICKOSCOPIGAL SCIENCE. 



Bodent Cancer of the Upper Eyelid. — In describing a case of this 

 kind to the Clinical Society (October 27), Mr. Hiilke described the 

 minute featm'es of the stroma as follows : — It was composed chiefly of 

 small round spherical cells like those of rete mucosum without inter- 

 cellular substance, and, although diifering from epithelioma, resembled 

 it so far that he could not draw a sharp line of distinction between 

 the two. 



TJie Microscope in the Detection of Adulteration in Food. — A good 

 paper on this subject appeared recently in the ' Chemical News.' It 

 is by Mr. Walter Morris, and it deals with the subjects of coffee, 

 cocoa, sugar, mustard, pepper, and bread. It points out the principal 

 adulterations, and shows how they may be readily detected by the 

 microscope. The paper is too long for an abstract. 



