The Microscope. 



Published on the 10th of Each Month, 



At 21 State Street, Detroit, Mich. 



tr publication, books for review and exchanges should be addressed to 

 3,'^83 Lafayette Ave., Detroit, Mich. 



All articles for 

 "The Microscope, 



Subscriptions, Advertisements and all business matters are attended to by the pul> 

 ishers, D. O. Haynes & Company, P. O. Box .583, Detroit, Mich. 



No receipt will be sent for subscriptions received unless specially requested. 



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Vol. VII. 



DETROIT, APRIL, 1887. 



No. 4 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



AN EXTEMPORIZED SECTION FLATTENER. 



W. C. BORDEN, M. D., U. S. ARMY. 



FOR the benefit of those workers in microscopy who, like myself, 

 have been troubled by the curling of sections in cuttings 

 made from interstitial imbedding in paraffine, I illustrate the 

 simple device which with me has worked most satisfactorily. 



It consists of a glass 

 tube, 1 (see illustration) and 

 a cameFs hair brush, 2. 

 The tube is bent over an 

 alcohol lamp to about an 

 angle of 45°. A hole is 

 then bored through the 

 table holding the section 

 cutter, on the side farthest 

 from the operator, and of 

 such size as to hold the 

 tube firmly, one end of 

 which is passed down 

 through it. Into the 

 other end of the tube the 

 handle of a camel's hair 

 brush is thrust, whittling 

 it down to proper size if the bore of tube be too small. The tube 

 is then raised or lowered through the hole in the table, the brush 

 handle being at the same time moved further in or out of the tube 

 until the brush lies lightly yet closely over the surface of the object 



