358 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Nov,, 



proved of inestimable value to medicine. Much of our progress 

 may be attributed to this source. But it has also served to per- 

 petrate some very serious errors. It has one grave fault, you 

 can see in it almost anything that you wish t'> see. It has but 

 one eye and that is introspective. Moreover, its too exclusive 

 use causes a sort of mental myopia, in which the individual 

 can only see the magnified object before him and note its proper 

 relation to other things. — Medical Brief. 



NECROLOGY. 



A. H. Breckenfeld. — It is with great sorrow that we an- 

 nounce the death of a prominent microscopist and a personal 

 friend. He was a prominent member of the San Francisco 

 society and was recently its president. He was an unusually 

 genial and obliging friend. Every spare hour was spent by him 

 in microscopical study or in roaming the fields and seashore in 

 search of objects. His wife always accompanied him and was 

 his idol. Without her by his side he did not care to live. 



The library which he had collected consisted of several hun- 

 dred valuable books and has been given to the San Francisco 

 society and will be known as the Breckenfeld collection. To 

 these, he added a very handsome monogram slide of arranged 

 diatoms which had been presented to him by the California Col- 

 lege of Pharmacy. Of the use to be made of the books, he said : 

 " It is my sincere wish that they may be the means of conferring 

 upon others the same pure and lasting pleasure which I have 

 derived from them myself. Whether this end can be best at- 

 tained by keeping said collection intact or by distributing it 

 among the members, I leave entirely to the society's good judg- 

 ment. My own wishes will be gratified if as many as possible 

 are made as happy as possible." 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



San Francisco, Gal. 

 October 3. — Owing to the reception of the Breckenfeld collec- 

 tion and other causes the society has been obliged to enlarge its 

 rooms. At the same time a very wise step has been taken in 

 reducing the entrance fee from $20 to $10. Provision is already 



