112 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



microtome, ingenious and simple, with its ready method of calculating 

 the thickness of sections, is illustrated and described in detail even to 

 the often difficult setting of the knife. Terse but adequate instructions 

 for imbedding in paraffin and celloidin are given, and the art of cutting 

 sections in three planes, viz. transversely, radial-longitudinally, and 

 tangential-longitudinally, in order to obtain a solid picture, illustrated. 



" Staining consists in differentiating the various composing tissues 

 . . . and is governed by the chemical affinities of tissues which vary 

 with age." With this introduction the art of staining is explained, and 

 in Chapter III., instead of a bewildering list of innumerable stains, 

 13 stains and counter-stains are described, with their formulae and full 

 details for manipulation—" a list which is very limited, but one which 

 will be found sufficiently extensive for the general worker." 



The technique is completed by formulae of mounting media and 

 cements, and illustrated descriptions of mounting cells and an ingenious 

 turntable for ringing ovals. 



Chapter IY. systematically deals with type preparations selected to 

 show plant structure from root to flower, including the growing cell and 

 its contents, and every preparation has its corresponding illustration in 

 the plates. 



These plates still further enhance the value of the text, and consist 

 of 100 beautifully coloured microphotographs specially prepared for this 

 work. One misprint occurs in the text of fig. 35 (7). 



When we recall the pitfalls of laboratory work and the days when 

 tissues were cut by hand, held in a piece of pith, and the attempts at 

 elucidating sections, which varied considerably with the operator's skill, 

 by the aid of text or diagrams, we can only put down this work in full 

 agreement with the author's prefatory remark that " had such a work 

 been at my disposal twenty years ago, I feel sure that I should have 

 been spared years of persistent hard work and many disappointments." 



Clinical Diagnostic Bacteriology.* — A. C. Coles' work on the blood 

 is so much appreciated that his recent excursion into bacteriology 

 insures a respectful consideration. After dealing with technique, the 

 author treats of the various acid-fast bacteria in respect of their morpho- 

 logical characters and their degree of resistance to acid, alcohol, and 

 other decolorisers, and then describes his method of differentiating the 

 tubercle bacillus from all other acid-fast tubercle organisms. The 

 method amounts to this : stain with hot carbol fuchsin for about 

 7 minutes, and decolorise for about 4 hours or more in Pappenheim's 

 solution, or the author's modification thereof, or in 25 p.c. sulphuric 

 acid for 16-24 hours. 



Other organisms treated of are the Gonococcus, Ducrey's bacillus, 

 Pneumococcus, the microbes of influenza, meningitis, diphtheria, plague, 

 actinomycosis, anthrax, relapsing fever, and parasitic fungi affecting the 

 skin and hair. The last 20 pages are devoted to serum and cyto- 

 diagnosis. Most of the work is given up to discussion on the acid-fast, 

 and more or less acid-fast red staining bacteria, about which the author 

 gives evidence of much practical knowledge and experience. The work 

 will be found to be extremely helpful to those who are anxious to obtain 

 an insight into the difficult questions discussed and explained. 



* London: J. and A. Churchill, 1904, viii. and 237 pp., 2 col. pis. 



