The Microscope. 47 



their highly importaut observations on the spectra of gases in 1865. 

 Sorby invented his micro-spectroscope and published his observations 

 on blood-stains, and the qualitative and quantitative analysis of 

 animal and vegetable coloring matters. Valentine followed with his 

 work '"On the Blood." In France appeared the work of R. Benoit, 

 " Etude Spectroscopic sur la sang," and that of Victor Fumoze, " Les 

 Spectres d' absorption," Paris, 1870; "Die Blutcrystalle," byPreyer, 

 in 1871; "Products of Oxidation of Biliary Coloring Matter and 

 their Absorption Bands," by Heynsius & Campbell, 1871; "On the 

 Spectrum Analysis of Urine," by Jaffe, 1868. Then came Malyv 

 " Untersuchungen ueber GallenfarbestofPe und Oxidationsproducte," 

 Centralblatt 1869. My own labors and observations on old blood- 

 stains. " Archives of Scientific and Practical Medicine," edited by 

 Brown-Sequard. In the same direction wrote, " Bogomoloff, Fudo- 

 kowsky, Prussac, Stockvis, Anderson, Heparins, " On the Absorption 

 Bands of Gallstones. Then came Thudicum's masterly review, " Of 

 the Spectroscope and its Ar>plication in Pathology and Chemistry," 

 in the 10th report to the Pi'ivy Council, 1868. In addition we have 

 the critical labors of Stadeler, Neurovki, Dybkowsky, Grandeau, Leh- 

 man, Koshlakow, Sneider, Virchow, Bird Herapath, Rey Lankaster, 

 Vierord, Semmler, Roscoe, Shellen, Vogel, Watts, Jaederholm, Zach, 

 McMunn, Draper and others. The above brilliant array of scientific 

 men that have given spectrum analysis applied to medicine their 

 critical attention, is sufficient proof of the great and towering impor- 

 tance of the subject under consideration. 



THE SPECTROSCOPE — CURSORY RESUME OF ITS USEFULNESS IN MEDICINE. 



Not more than a score of years ago it would have been possible 

 to sum up all that the spectroscope could do in the service of medi- 

 cine in a brief space indeed. Now, at this present day, the material 

 that has been accumulated could not be exhaustively laid before the 

 readers of The Microscope in a dozen essays, occupying both an 

 extensive space and requiring a long time. Spectrum analysis has 

 carried us far beyond our former conceptions of the laws of life, 

 health and death. By it we have been enabled to lift the curtain 

 beyond which, since eternity began, those mysterious processes were 

 carried on, which man sought continually to understand, upon 

 which the most strange and conflicting theories prevailed, and 

 which he erroneously supposed could never be unraveled. Its 

 application is simple, and it responds to the minutest amount of 

 material. Indeed, it is this extraordinary delicacy and sensitiveness 



