132 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [April 



only qaestion is in regard to smootli-muscle fibres. For 

 they will not only show more exactly and more sharply 

 the surroundings of the muscle fasci(-uli and their rela- 

 tions with the neighboring tissue, but will also render 

 easier tlie finding of displaced muscle fasciculi in the 

 collagen tissues through the contrast staining. Finally, 

 such stains are only applicable to such in which the pic- 

 tures of the genesis and the regressive metamorphosis of 

 the muscular spindles are to be given. 



In the article published before I have taken occasion 

 to give two coloring methods by which the collagen and 

 muscle fibres could be differentiated ; the methylin-blueT 

 orcein method, and the acid fuchsin-picric method. By 

 the first I have the muscle a weak bluish in contrast to 

 the strong red collagen fibres, the better shown the longer 

 one lias previously stained with methylin-blue. We have 

 also the methylin-blue which colors the collagen fibres 

 and holds better than the decolorized neutral orcein solu- 

 tion. Consequently it shows greater basophilic properties 

 than the latter and remains more tenaceously in the pro- 

 toplasm than in the collagen. We are forced to draw 

 the same conclusions from the results of the acid fuchsin- 

 picric method, though we are here concerned witli only 

 two acid stains, which are dissolved in the tissues. The 

 differentiation depends upon the difference in intensity of 

 the (acid) stains, and the weaker picric acid takes posses- 

 sion of the basophilic substances (protoplasm, muscle sub- 

 stance) while the acidophylic parts (collagen, nuclei) take 

 up with alacrity the stronger acid fuchsin. These methods 

 also show here by means of the methyl-blue and orcein 

 methods ; muscle with portoplasm gives the same con- 

 trast stain with collagen. 



In addition to these known methods I have found a 

 way of developing the metylin-blue, which brings out 

 sharply the muscle in collagen tissue in the simplest man- 

 ner. The methyl-blue in the tissue is fixed by means of 



