26 THE MICROSCOPE. 



ant put into the possession of valuable information as regards the 

 character of a lung affection by what he finds in the sputa of his 

 patient? In anaemia and chlorosis he frequently learns much by 

 examining the blood. In discriminating secretions and excretions 

 he often finds use for his lenses, also, often in making out peculiar 

 tissues. Really, there are so very many uses for the microscope by 

 the physician in the way of his practice, which suggest themselves 

 to us, and which we would suppose would occur to the minds of all, 

 that it seems absurd to enumerate them in the way of evidence of 

 the value of the instrument to every practitioner. We feel sure that 

 we could not dispense with it. 



Let any of our readers take up a work on medical jurisprudence, 

 and we feel sure that they will find abundant evidence of the value 

 of the microscope as a medical instrument. By it the physician can 

 determine at once whether certain stains are blood stains or not ; 

 and if they are, whether the blood is that of the mammalia or not. 

 But this will suffice. Scores of pages of almost any work upon 

 medical jurisprudence will illustrate the importance of the micro- 

 scope. 



We do not wish to be suspicious, but we cannot help suspecting 

 that the medical gentleman who has been reported to us as speaking 

 disparagingly of the value of the microscope was induced to do so 

 because he himself had no practical knowledge of the use of it ; and, 

 consequently he desired to excuse his ignorance by depreciating it. 

 We hardly believe, though, that he will be able to deceive any one. 

 — Cincinnati Medical Ne7us. 



Action of Carbolic Acid upon Ciliated Cells and White 

 Blood-corpuscles. — Since as far as statistical data are reliable, 

 the results of operations, except in certain classes of cases 

 (ovariotomy, etc.) are equally as good in the hands of those sur- 

 geons who use carbolic acid as a dressing agent only, as in the 

 hands of those who adhere strictly to the Listerian doctrines and 

 details, it is a matter of interest to know just what may be the effect 

 of carbolic acid, in varying degrees of strength, upon living tissue. 

 Its beneficial effect may be largely due to its direct action upon the 

 tissues of the healing wound. For experimentation, ciliated and 

 white blood cells were chosen by Dr. T. M. Prudden, since in these 



