108 



SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



In section-cutting the cylinder with object is rotated, whilst the knife 

 remains motionless. The knife is fastened on a massive four-sided 

 prism, which is somewhat reduced at the upper end. This prism is 

 23 cm. high, and stands on the right-hand side of the cylinder, some- 

 what behind the horizontal middle line. On its front side the prism 

 carries the bearing in which the axis of the winch rotates. On the 

 left hand of the axis there is a toothed wheel, made of vulcanite, whose 

 cogs engage in vertical flutes which are fitted on a projection of the 

 upper plate of the inner cylinder, and which reach, collar-like, over the 

 ■outer cylinder. Rotation of the winch causes a translation movement 



Fig. 19. 



of the cylinder in the ratio of 2:1. The object-holder is so arranged 

 that it can be set once for all at a certain distance from the cylinder 

 axis. After the cutting of a section, further rotation of the winch in the 

 same direction brings the object-holder into position for the next section. 

 The application of a lubricant is superfluous, or only necessary after very 

 long use of the instrument. It is to be noted that the object is moved 

 with accurate perpendicularity against the knife-edge. The knife can 

 also be arranged for oblique sections. The accuracy of the section- 

 cutting is stated to be remarkable, and approximates very closely to 

 theory. The absence of oil-layers removes a difficulty met with in 

 many microtomes, and this improvement was a great consideration with 

 the inventor. 



