1894.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 189 



bisected and already doubled nucleus. It is thus possible to 

 diagnose leprosy with the microscope. 



A Typhoid Epidemic in Buffalo.--Dr. Gary reports the 

 cause " a contamination of our water." The cases were spread 

 quite evenly throughout the city, hence milk or food could not 

 account for it. Turning to the city water supply the proof is 

 clear. Much of the winter, water was distributed from the Bird 

 Island Inlet. Just preceding the epidemic, the water in Niag- 

 ara river was low and the Bird Island Inlet opened. The city 

 Bacteriologist has examined the water and reports abundant 

 contamination of the Niagara river at this inlet. He has found 

 Eberth's t3^phoid bacillus there in abundance. Over 500 cases 

 of typhoid occurred in the city in one month from this cause. 



Were one per cent of the doctors organized by the city into a 

 Health Board for the prevention of disease, a large part of the 

 business of the rest could be destroyed. 



Gonorrheal Infection. — It has been shown by Brewer that 

 in a case of gonorrheal infection, six years had elapsed during 

 which no secretion could be pressed from the urethra, yet the 

 microscope showed several characteristic colonies of gonococci. 

 Six weeks afterward, contrary to advice, this man married and 

 in two weeks, communicated the infection to his wife in whom 

 it went through the various stages of inflammation and re- 

 sulted in abscess. 



Toxins — are alkaloidal poisons produced by the vital pro- 

 cesses of pathogenic bacteria as alcohol is the product of the 

 growth of the yeast plant. When produced in the system by 

 the bacteria their poisonous effects are the symptoms of the par- 

 ticular disease that the particular microbe produces. Pro luced 

 in the laboratory the toxin of lock jaw has been demonstrated 

 to be fatal to mice in a dose of ,0000005 gram. If equally poi- 

 sonous to man, a fatal dose would be one two-hundred-and- 

 eightieth grain. From this one can judge what fearful weapons 

 the bacteria possess in their specific poisons. (Beiger and Cohn, 

 in Zeitschrifi fur Hygiene,) 



Health Conference. — At the conference of Health Officers of 

 Michigan, June 14 and 15, tuberculosis was the prominent 

 theme. Dr. V. C. Vaughan gave demonstrations of Tubercle 



