T'HE MICROSCOPE. 15 
We trust that our friend Prof. Pelletan will voice through his 
Journal de Micrographie, Dr. Detmers’ real sentiments as here 
expressed, and thus bring this matter to an end. 
At the same time, however just or unjust criticism may be, 
every maker of objectives and microscopes must pass through the 
fire. It is obviously wrong, lowever, to class all the microscopes 
made in this country under one denomination, ‘ bad,’—as was 
recently done,—and place all those made in Germany under the 
heading “ good,” for there are good and bad in each. But there is” 
no injustice in comparing the best of one country with the best of 
another,—and in impartially criticising the weak points and defects 
in each. 
Whatever Dr. Detmers may have said, there are very many 
competent judges who will almost agree to what he is reported to — 
have said ;—not from any desire to discredit the foreign objectives, 
but simply because the home-made lenses referred to have stood the 
test of time, and from this point of view remain unequaled. 
The President of the American Society of Microscopists informs 
us that the committee have definitely decided to hold the next meet- 
ing of the society at Buffalo. Every effort will be made to make it 
a successful meeting. 
AckKNowLepemMENts. — From J. L. Zabriski, Flatbush, L. L, 
mounts of vegetable sections ; from Dr. J. A. Reeves, Chattanooga, 
Tenn., histolgical mounts. 
LEGHNO LOGY: 
OSMIC ACID AND GOLD CHLORIDE METHODS. 
R. A. K. KOLOSSOW (Zeitsch. f. wiss. Miki.) says that the 
penetrating power of osmic acid, which is intrinsically almost 
nil, may be increased by a mixture of the acid with uranium salt. 
The author prepares a five per cent. solution of osmic acid in a two 
to three per cent. solution of nitrate or acetate of uranium (the 
former is the better). Large pieces of an object, for example, a 
frog’s tongue cut into two or three pieces, are easily penetrated by 
this mixture, wherein they may remain for sixteen, twenty-four or 
forty-eight hours without becoming brittle, and only being stained a 
yellowish-brown color, except the myelin, which is almost black, the 
medullated fibers and their endings are clearly seen. The author 
