1883.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



237 



to the serious illness of Dr. Woodward, 

 who, we regret to learn, is not likely 

 to be able to resume his post at the 

 Museum. Among the army surgeons 

 there are not many fitted, either by 

 experience or inclination, to make 

 proper use of the valuable apparatus 

 in the Museum, and a rumor has come 

 to us that a Curator is soon to be ap- 

 pointed, who will have the apparatus 

 in charge. This is a matter in which 

 all microscopists are interested, for 

 we are accustomed to look to the 

 Museum for some of the best histo- 

 logical microscopical work, and also for 

 the finest photographic work with the 

 microscope that has yet been seen. 



In the hope that the work so ad- 

 mirably begun by Dr. Woodward may 

 be continued in a manner creditable 

 to the institution, and to the medical 

 profession represented in the army 

 service, we trust the appointment to 

 be made will be carefully considered 

 by the new Surgeon General. 



There is one gentleman, well known 

 to the readers of this Journal for his 

 painstaking original work with the 

 microscope, who would fill the position 

 with ability and credit. It is scarcely 

 necessar}'^ to mention the name of Dr. 

 G. M. Sternberg in this connection. 

 Eminently qualified for the position, 

 an industrious worker in an uninviting, 

 but one of the most important, fields 

 of microscopical research, and prac- 

 tically familiar with all the apparatus 

 used in photographing microscopic 

 objects, we are assured that every 

 microscopist would be pleased to learn 

 of Dr. Sternberg's appointment to the 

 position of Curator in the Army 

 Medical Museum. 



Fixing Infusoria. — Mr.' Saville 

 Kent states that a solution of iodine 

 acts upon infusoria in almost the same 

 manner as osmic acid. His solution 

 is prepared by making a saturated 

 solution of potassic iodide in water, 

 in which is dissolved as much iodine 

 as it will take up. The solution 

 is then diluted to a brown sherry 



color. In making this solution for 

 personal use it is well not to use very 

 much of the solution of potassic iodide, 

 as it will require a considerable quan- 

 tity of iodine to saturate it — a drachm 

 or so of water will make a sufficient 

 quantity for a long time. 



Another agent has been used for 

 fixing the soft animals of the tintin- 

 nodai in their natural position. This 

 was successfully used by Dr. Fol, who 

 found it more satisfactory than osmic 

 acid, acetic acid, chromic acid or 

 picrosulphuric acid. The reagent 

 used was perchloride of iron. The 

 method of preparing the solution we 

 cannot give, but the reagent is easily 

 obtained from a pharmacist, and it 

 would seem worth while for some 

 amateur microscopist to make experi- 

 ments with it, to determine if it is 

 capable of general application. After 

 the animals were killed they were 

 washed with alcohol and treated with 

 gallic acid, which produced a brown 

 coloration, especially of the nuclei. 



Readers of the Journal would, we 

 are sure, be glad to learn the results 

 of experiments made with this agent 

 for killing infusoria, and minute forms 

 of life generally. 



The Sexual Characters of Amer- 

 ican and Foreign Oysters. — Mr. 

 J. A. Ryder, whose success in the 

 artificial cultivation of oysters has al- 

 ready been noticed in these columns, 

 has published an article on the sexual 

 characters of the oysters of America 

 and Europe, in which he states, con- 

 trary to previous belief, that the sexes 

 of the European oyster are not separ- 

 ate, as in the American species. The 

 investigation leading to this conclusion 

 may be briefly summed up as follows : 

 The oyster Ostrca ediclis^ is removed 

 from the shell and hardened by the 

 action of a two per cent, solution of 

 chromic acid, which is allowed to act 

 several days, after which the acid is 

 removed by washing in water, and the 

 specimen transferred to alcohol. Thick 

 blocks are then cut, transversely, and 



