i)« THE MICROSCOPE. 



worker who can make his balsam mounts, neatly and without fail- 

 ures, and consequently without saying or thinking naughty words, 

 has certainly passed over the roughest portion of his journey, and 

 may look with confidence for a continuously easier road, no matter 

 in how manv different directions it mav lead him. 



LABORATORY NOTES. {Continued.) 



BY C. H. STOWELL. 



HAVING become familiar with the various normal and extrane- 

 ous matters found in an examination of the contents of the 

 mouth, we are now prepared to examine the sputa in suspected 

 cases of phthisis. 



We should become familiar with the appearnce of fragments of 

 lung tissue, as they are found in well established cases of ad- 

 vanced phthisis, before we attempt to diagnose a case by this exam- 

 ination alone. 



It is a recognized fact, that phthisis is diagnosed, by an examin- 

 ation of the sputa, weeks and months before other signs are manifest. 



We cannot discuss here the value of fibres of lung tissue — 

 yellow elastic fibres — when found in the sputa. There are many 

 exhaustive articles on the subject, and our readers are referred espe- 

 cially to "Richardson's hand-book of Medical Micro.scopy " for a 

 full explanation. 



Some special directions should be given to the i)atient whose 

 sputa we are about to collect. First, the mouth should be carefully 

 and thoroughly rinsed, and teeth brushed, after each meal. Second, 

 the vessel in which the sputa are collected should be scrupulously 

 clean. Third, if the patient uses tobacco, it should be denied him 

 during the collection of the sputa, as the fibres of the leaf might 

 mislead and cause a wrong diagnosis. The sputa first raised in the 

 morning should be preferred for examination, but if this should 

 prove too small an amount, then the sputa for the whole twenty-four 

 hours should be saved. 



Any little grayish matters should be chosen and placed at once 

 under the microscope. Acetic acid will render the fibres, if present, 

 more distinct, by clearing up the nuicus, etc. ' 



