1897] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 105 



Excretion of Micro-organisms. — Biedl and R. Kraus 

 have previously shown that raicro-org-anisms present in 

 the blood are excreted by normal kidneys, the urine being- 

 free from albumin or blood. These investig-ators now 

 record their experiments on the excretion of micro- org-an- 

 isms by the g-landular org-ans. By injecting- of staphylo- 

 coccus into the blood, they have investig-ated the function 

 of the liver and submaxillary g-land in this respect. They 

 found neg-ative results in two of the first four experiments 

 where the g-all-bladder w^as opened immediately after death, 

 the precautions being- used. In another series of experi- 

 ments the bile was inoculated directly into nutrient media, 

 a canula having- been placed in the bile passag-es. In case 

 of the submaxillary g-land a canula was placed in the duct, 

 and the same method followed. Inallthese cases thestaphy- 

 lococcus was obtained from the bile, but the results were 

 neg-ative in all cases where the submaxillary secretion w^as 

 investig-ated. The micro-org-anisms were shown to be 

 continuously excreted in the bile during- one and a half to 

 two hours, while the experiment lasted. .From these ex- 

 periments these investig-ators conclude that as in the case 

 of the kidneys the excretion of micro-org-anisms is a nor- 

 mal function of the liver. 



ILEDICAL MICROSCOPY. 



On the Action of Antitoxin. — Dr. P. Ehrlich states 

 that by the orig-inal conception of the destruction of poi- 

 sons throug-h the anti-bodies it was considered untenable 

 that in physiolog-ically neutral toxin-antitoxin mixtures 

 both compounds still existed as such, but now two oppo- 

 site opinions are prominent. 



According- to one view, poison and antidote exist in the 

 liquids of the tissues as a kind of copulative double com- 

 pound, which is of course inactive in effect. In opposition 

 to this chemical view it has been held by many, especially 

 Roux and Buchner, that the action of the antitoxins is 

 more indirect. Thev act on the cells, and these to a certain 



