1888.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. Ill 



The cities discharging sewage into New York ba}- have a population of 

 3,000,000 people. Specimens were obtained at the incoming tide from the 

 Narro\vs, from the sidG«of the steamship Britannia lying in quarantine, 

 from near Hoffman's island and Swinburne island. A chemical examination 

 demonstrated that the amount of organic impurity was very great, and about 

 the same in each of these samples. The samples were collected in sterilized 

 flasks : and in order to ascertain the nature of the bacteria contained therein, 

 and determine ho^v long they ^vould support life of the different micro- 

 organisms, the following experiments were made : — 



' Plate cultivations were made from each of the different specimens, and, 

 at the end of five days, had developed colonies of bacteria. Examination 

 showing the number of micro-organisms: — Narrows, 4,^00 to cubic centi- 

 meter ; Britan7iia anchorage, 10,200 to cubic centimeter ; Hoffman island, 

 9,600 to cubic centimeter; Swinburne island. 11,700 to cubic centimeter. 



' The micro-organisms found in each were several varieties of micrococci 

 and one of a large bacillus. These were transferred to cultivation tubes for 

 further observation. On November I3. test-tubes, partly filled with sea-water, 

 were thoroughly sterilized and inoculated in the usual manner with pure cul- 

 tivations of the spirilla of Asiatic cholera, and also of Finkler and Prior. Cul- 

 tivation-tubes were inoculated from the water from da}- to day. for the purpose 

 of determining the longevit}' of the growths. During the first five days, the 

 water seemed to exert a slight inhibitory influence over their development. 

 It was further obsen'ed that until January 20. a period of sixty-nine days, the 

 characteristic growth of the spirillum of cholera Asiatica could be produced in 

 peptone gelatine. That of Finkler and Prior has a vet longer lease of life. 



"■ Examinations made from time to time, both by the plate method and 

 direct staining, show conclusively that these spirilla have not onlv been kept 

 alive, but have also greatly increased in nimibers. 



' After closely studying the currents of the upper bay, I am led to believe 

 that if dejecta from cholera patients should be thrown into the lower bay, 

 cholera could gain a foothold on the contiguous shores, where every condi- 

 tion favorable to its development and propagation sometimes exists.' — Buffalo 

 jMedical and Surg. yournaL 



Notices of New Methods. — IV. 



By GEORGE C. FREEBORN, M. D., 



INSTRUCTOR IN NORMAL HISTOLOGY, COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SUKGEONS, NEW YORK CITY. 



Safranin Solution with Aniline Oil.* V. Babes. — To 100 parts of dis- 

 tilled water, an excess of powdered safranin and 2% of aniline oil are added. 

 The mixture is heated to 50° or 60° C, and filtered warm through a moist- 

 ened filter. This gives a deep red fluid which stains in from one to two min- 

 utes. After staining, the sections are passed through alcohol, cleared in oil 

 of cloves, and mounted in Canada balsam. This solution stains calcareous 

 matter red-violet, and is especially useful for staining bacteria and karyokin- 

 etic figures. 



The author has also combined this stain with Gram's method for isolating 

 Actinomyces elements, staining calcareous and hyaline degeneration and cer- 

 tain abnormal kar^okinetic figures. 



The sections are stained for twenty-four hours, in the above staining fluid, 

 then treated for one minute with Gram's fluid, then washed In alcoliol, cleared 

 in oil of cloves, and mounted in Canada balsam. 



• Arch. f. Path. Anat. u. Phys. cv. 1886, p. 590-596, also Z. f. W. Mikros. iv, 1887, p. 470. 



