278 Obituary. 



To the microscopical world he is best known by " How to 

 Work with the Microscope," and " The Microscope in Medicine," 

 both of which have run through numerous editions. He also wrote 

 on " The Liver," " Kidney Diseases, Urinary Deposits, and Calculi," 

 " Slight Ailments and their Treatment," " The Mystery of Life," 

 " The Ultimate Nerve-Fibres distributed to the Muscles and to 

 some other Tissues," " Life and Vital Action in Health and Disease," 

 and other works on religion and science. 



Though some of his views were generally unacceptable — e.g. on 

 Vitality, Bioplasm, etc. — there can be no doubt to any one who 

 has examined his reproductions of things observed by him under 

 the Microscope, that he was a most faithful delineator, as well as 

 an accurate and acute student, in many respects in advance of his 

 time. And though it may not be possible to draw the same 

 conclusions as he did, the facts remain, and they show conclusively 

 that he was a great pioneer in microscopical cytology, histology, 

 and physiology, and particularly in high-power work prior to the 

 day of immersion objectives. 



His method of preparation was, briefly, as follows. The tissues 

 were stained either by immersion in " Beale's carmin fluid," or 

 by injection of an alkaline carmin solution through the aorta. In 

 the latter case this w T as in due course followed by a Prussian - 

 blue solution, which remained precipitated in the blood-vessels. 

 The tissues were then soaked in acid-glycerin, thus causing the 

 carmin to be precipitated in a very fine form in every particle of 

 " bioplasm," or living matter, the carmin in the non-living, or 

 " formed " material, being washed out by soaking in dilute glycerin. 

 The pieces of tissue for examination were then soaked for many 

 months in glycerin of increasing strengths, and finely teased out 

 preparations were eventually mounted in pure glycerin. Many of 

 these preparations were investigated under a ^ dry objective, and 

 it is worth while noting that some of the actual specimens made 

 fifty years ago are still extant and in excellent preservation. 

 Much of his work was done on the Ryla and the maggot of the 

 blow-fly, and the method adopted for staining is practically the 

 same as that recently come into vogue and known as " supravital." 



Communications made to The Royal Microscopical Society 

 by the late professor lionel s. beale.* 



1. A Simple Form of Portable Microscope, with Lever Adjustment, which 



may be adapted to several dim rent purposes. Trans. Micr. Soc. 

 London, iv. (1856) pp. 13-14. 



2. On a Portable Field or Clinical Microscope. (Read Dec. 10, 1860.) 



Op. cit., ix. (1861) pp. 3-4. 



* A portrait of the late Professor Beale is given in Journal R.M.S., 1886, 

 facing p. 625. 



