1886.] 



MICEOSCOFICAL JOUENAL. 



19 



wholly unauthorized edition so far as 

 either writer is concerned ; and the pro- 

 priety of publishing the book under the 

 circumstances is, to say the least, doubt- 

 ful, and clearly brings out the necessity of 

 international copyright to protect au- 

 thors. However, Messrs. Cassino & Co. 

 have taken the ground that the public 

 have some rights in the matter, and these 

 essays are a power for good, a sentiment 

 in which we fully agree, especially as re- 

 gards the last part. We have not seen 

 the book, but assuming that both authors 

 are properly represented, now that it is 

 published, we trust it will be widely read ; 

 for the controversy reveals with excep- 

 tional clearness two strange psychological 

 facts : — first, that although Mr. Spencer is 

 regarded by the great public, to whom he 

 is scarcely known except by name, as a 

 man dangerous to morality and an athe- 

 ist, he is, in truth, a strong theist, and an 

 author whose writings are of immense 

 value to the christian world ; second, it 

 shows how woefully even such a cultured 

 gentleman as Mr. Harrison can miscon- 

 strue the words of such an accurate and 

 perspicuous writer as Mr. Spencer. Mr. 

 Spencer very justly sums up the whole 

 matter in these words : — ' While the things 

 I have said have not been disproved, the 

 things which have been disproved are 

 things I have not said.' 



— Readers should notice the numerous 

 articles offered by Mr. Woolman in his 

 new advertisement selected from his stock 

 as novelties. The arrangements for show- 

 ing the electric spark are ingenious, and 

 already have become quite popular. The 

 embryo chicks are prepared by a New 

 York gentleman, and are excellent in 

 every way. 



— In the Bulletin of the Illinois State 

 Laboratory of Natural History, vol. ii. 

 Prof. T. J. Burrill contributes the first part 

 of a valuable descriptive list of the para- 

 sitic fungi of Illinois. This part treats of 

 the Uridinea;. The genera and species 

 are described with care, and there is a 

 good index. 



— Mr. Bulloch informs us that he now 

 makes his microtome with a feeding at- 

 tachment and automatic ribbon or section- 

 carrier. The instrument can now be fur- 

 nished very complete for all histological 

 purposes. 



— ■ Dr. G. Royston-Pigott, whose name 

 is more familiar to readers of microscopi- 

 cal literature of a decade past than of the 

 present time, has begun some articles in 



the English Meclianic entitled Microscopi- 

 cal Advances — Ancient and Modern, 

 which are exceedingly interesting. Dr. 

 Pigott seems to be more intimately 

 acquainted with the older works and 

 authors than most of those who have 

 lately written upon this subject, and in his 

 first article we find much that is not gen- 

 erally known about the construction and 

 capabilities of some of the first micro- 

 scopes. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



Photo -micrography 



To THE Editor : — You must permit me 

 to thank you for your very courteous ref- 

 erence to a recent lecture of mine, in 

 your initial article on Photo-micrography 

 m the November number of the Journal. 

 You appear to have criticised my methods, 

 in tjiat they require expensive apparatus, 

 and facilities not at the command of the 

 majority of workers. The criticism would 

 be most certainly just, were I attempting 

 to popularize the subject, but my remarks 

 before the American Institute were only 

 intended to indicate such a line of pro- 

 cedure as might, without regard to ex- 

 pense, etc., enable us to secure the very 

 highest results in photo-micrographic art. 



I very much doubt the possibility of 

 every microscopist being able, by the ad- 

 dition of a kerosene lamp and a plate- 

 holder to his instrument, to produce 

 results that will be of any value or of the 

 slightest satisfaction to the worker. It 

 has been my fortune in the last twenty 

 years to have seen a goodly number of 

 enthusiastic and capable microscopists 

 fail in producing photographic images of 

 their fields, simply on account of the 

 cheap and flimsy means employed. 



It appears to me that especially in the 

 study of bacteriology, photography will 

 certainly prove a most invaluable aid. 

 The images are frequently unstable, and 

 the value of a given preparation is often 

 only appreciated when ii has faded, or 

 biological changes have destroyed original 

 features. Again, in recording the growth 

 of slide cultures, photography cannot but 

 prove an unimpeachable witness. It is 

 true that high-power photographs of mi- 

 nute bacteria are not striking pictures in an 

 artistic sense, but when absolute truth is 

 required, the graver or the crayon cannot 

 be brought into competition for a mo- 

 ment. One cannot but be impressed with 

 the truth of what has just been written, on 



