168 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [May 



cleansing" took place, and previous sewag^e contamination 

 was thus entirely got rid of. This result forms the hig-h- 

 est possible arg-ument in favor of the absolute purity of the 

 surrounding's of oysters during- their cultivation or after 

 being- laid down in special beds for fattening purposes. 



With reg-ard to the germs of typhoid fever in sea water 

 or in the tissues of the oyster, it was shown that they are 

 viable for fourteen days in sea water at 35 deg-rees centi- 

 grade, while in cold sea water they may live for twenty-one 

 days; and when larg^e quantities of the microbes are added 

 to the water, their presence may be demonstrated for a 

 longer period than when small quantities are employed. 

 It thus seems that the bacilli do not actually breed or mul- 

 tiply in the sea water at all. Infection from this source, 

 therefore, is from g-erms that have entered the water, and 

 not from their decendants and progeny. It was also dem- 

 onstrated that the typhoid microbe does not increase either 

 in the body or in the tissues of the oyster. Where oysters 

 are infected with typhoid g-erms and placed in a stream of 

 pure sea water, the bacilli disappear in from one to seven 

 davs. The oyster evidently utilizes its pure environment 

 to g-et rid of its unwelcome and uninvited g-erm guests. 



Distinctions Between Human and Animal Blood. — 

 On mixing the blood in question with a little bile, there are 

 formed crystals not exceeding- 0.003 meter in size. Those 

 of a man are rig-ht rectang-ular prisms; those of the horse, 

 cubes; of the ox, rhombohedrons; of the sheep, rhombohe- 

 dric tablets; of the dog-, rectangular prisms; of the rabbit, 

 tetrahedrons; of the squirrel, hexag-onal tablets; of the 

 mouse, octahedrons; of common poultry, cubes moditied at 

 their angles, etc. — Scientific American. 



MICROSCOPKAL NOTES. 



The Night Lunch \A/'agon.— Mr. John F. Hurley, pres- 

 ident of the water board, of Salem, Mass., who has been 

 indefatigable in promoting- a good water supply, has now 



