218 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[November. 



siderable, we think it pays better to pur- 

 chase it of the chemists. 



Note. — We have unfortunately mislaid 

 the communication of the correspondent 

 referred to above, and would thank him 

 to communicate with us further. 



Mr. Christian, of Richmond, Va., has 

 informed us, too late for more than brief 

 mention in this number, that he has made 

 two photo-micrographs of a new diatom, 

 for which he proposes the name Melotia- 

 vicula Marylandica, which is said to be 

 the missing link in the structure of diatoms 

 — a disk form with meridian line and 

 nodules. There are two species of this 

 new genus. Mr. Christian* will send prints 

 to any one who will write for them. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



Washington, D. C. 



Forty -seventh regular meeting, Tues- 

 day, Sept. 28, 1886. Prof. Seaman fa- 

 vored the Society with his impressions 

 and observations of the meeting of the 

 A. M. S. at Chautauqua. The speaker 

 showed lists of tables in operation at 

 working session, and of objects shown 

 at the public exhibition. Among the 

 items of interest was the exhibition of 

 photographic methods by Hon. J. D. Cox 

 and others. He was struck by the extent 

 to which the old forms of microtome had 

 been superseded by the Thoma and its 

 variations. As to cells and cements, he 

 had been pleased with two cements, viz., 

 that of Dr. James, of St. Louis, made by 

 passing oxygen through linseed oil and 

 dissolving the product in a suitable me- 

 dium, and the rubber cement made by 

 Brown, of Camden, N. J. Both of these 

 struck him favorably. Whitney's wax 

 cells seem to do away with the objection 

 most commonly urged against this form 

 of cell, viz., the cloudiness appearing after 

 the lapse of time. These cells are made 

 by building up wax in the usual manner 

 and then coating the cell with Brown's 

 cement. A solution of balsam in xylol 

 seems a good mounting medium and 

 cement also. The speaker had been 

 experimenting with a new metallic soap 

 varnish, which he had found to make an 

 excellent cement. Particulars will be given 

 soon. 



Dr. Taylor gave an account of his debate 



•Address : Thomas Christian, 1418 Main St., Rich- 

 mond, Va. 



at Chautauqua with Prof. Weber, and also 

 stated that he had secured an excellent 

 photograph, by Walmsley, of the beef fat 

 crystal, showing it to be branched and 

 foliated, as he had claimed. 



Dr. Reyburn gave an account of his 

 visit to Pasteur on August 8th last. After 

 describing the laboratory he gave an ac- 

 count of the method of preparing the 

 vaccine material, which is procured by 

 trephining rabbits and injecting virus 

 into the upper part of the spinal cord. 

 After ten days or so the rabbit dies, 

 usually suddenly. A portion of the in- 

 fected cord is heated in veal broth and 

 the mixture diluted so as to form fluids 

 of ten different strengths. In using the 

 vaccine an ordinary hypodermic syringe 

 is used, the needle of which is first steril- 

 ized in a solution of bichloride of mercury, 

 and the vaccine is then injected, usually 

 near the waist, beginning with the weakest 

 dilution and increasing the strength each 

 day. He came away with a feeling of dis- 

 trust with the method, and that seemed to 

 be the feeling of English physicians with 

 whom he had talked. There seemed to 

 be a lack of accuracy and care. In a 

 practice of thirty years, twenty of which 

 had been in Washington, he had never 

 known of but one genuine case of hydro- 

 phobia. Upon inquiry of other physicians, 

 their experience had been similar to his. 



Dr. Schaeffer showed a copy of Hassall's 

 microscopic anatomy, with plates, 1849, ^ 

 scarce work, and also showed a sample of 

 saccharine, the new coal-tar product lately 

 discovered. 



E. A. Balloch, Rec. Seer. 



Washington, D. C. 

 At the 48th regular meeting of the 

 Washington Microscopical Society, held 

 Oct. 1 2th, 1886, Dr. Schaeffer made a few 

 remarks on Phytolacca decandra. The 

 speaker said that there were two points 

 of interest to which he desired to call the 

 attention of the Society with regard to 

 Phytolacca, ist. The use of an extract 

 of the berries as a dye ; and 2d, a peculiar 

 arrangement of the ducts in the flower 

 stalk. He had been experimenting with 

 a solution of the berries in alcohol, and 

 also in a saturated solution of borax as a 

 dye. From his experiments he thought 

 that perhaps the dye might be useful in 

 staining vegetable preparations. He 

 showed some stainings which had been 

 exposed to light since Oct. 4th without 

 change. The stain is a deep homogeneous 

 red. 



