1893.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 29 



comparatively recent date. The method which he adopted con- 

 sisted in collecting the entire quantity of urine voided during the 

 twenty-four hours, and collecting the sediment from this by filtra- 

 tion through cheese-cloth. Small fragments of tissue which are 

 found in this sediment are hardened in alcohol, imbedded in cel- 

 loidin, and one or two hundred sections made and examined with 

 a low power. If this preliminary examination reveals anything 

 of importance, the sections are stained and examined with higher 

 power. In some cases a sufficient number of fragments may be 

 obtained from a small quantity of urine, and may not require to 

 be examined for several days at a time. The present method of 

 removing a small quantity of urine with a pipette and examining 

 one or two slides is very unsatisfactory, but by making repeated 

 examinations of a large number of sections of tissue much more 

 valuable information can be obtained, and a more general adop- 

 tion of this mode of examination would soon greatly enlarge our 

 knowledge of tumors of the bladder. By this method he had made 

 the diagnosis on several occasions, and had had the satisfaction of 

 having its accuracy confirmed by subsequent operation. 



Tumors of the bladder had, up to quite recently, been consid- 

 ered to be comparatively infrequent, and this was chiefly owing 

 to the fact that at post-mortem examinations the bladder is seldom 

 subjected to the same careful examination as are the other parts 

 of the body. — New York Medical Record. 



Procedure for Obtaining Germ-free Water. — Drs. V. 

 and A. Babes describe an apparatus for obtaining germ-free 

 water. The vessel itself is of zinc or glass, having the shape of 

 an Erlenmeyer's flask, and capable of holding 20 to 40 litres, 

 fig. 3, page 25. At the bottom is a pipe with stop-cock^ for letting 

 oft' the water, and at the side an aperture A, closed by a screw-tap, 

 for cleaning purposes. The vessel having been filled with 

 water, 3 to 6 grms. of powdered alum are put in, and then 

 stirred up with a flat perforated piece of wood, or by means of a 

 perforated mixer M turned by a handle. When thoroughly stirred 

 up the mixer is removed and the vessel covered yvWh a cap. In 

 18 to 20 hours the water is drawn oft' by the tap at the bot- 

 tom. It is advisable to let the first half-litre run off. The prin- 

 ciple on which the apparatus and procedure are founded is that 

 of sedimentation and decantation, and though alum acts very well 

 other substances may be used, such as sulphate of iron or chalk. 

 A similar result was obtained by currents of air, but the details 

 are not given. The authors think that the results of their methods 

 are very encouraging and infinitely superior to any of the filtra- 

 tion methods, all of which are condemned as being worse than 

 useless. The main objection to filters is that after having been 

 used for a few days the filtered water contains more germs than 

 the unfiltered. Of course all the results were tested bacteriolog- 

 ically.— 7. 7?. A/. 5., Dec. 1892, p. 



