210 



THE AMEIiICA:N MONTHLY 



[November, 



antiseptic, such as ' sanitas ' fluid — 

 which may be administered internally 

 — may be found to supply the means 

 that is urgently called for. of combat- 

 ing such fearful diseases. 



Of the nature of the chemical 

 poisons referred to in the pre- 

 ceding paragraphs as constituting 

 infectants related to specific diseases, 

 I can only suggest that they are deri- 

 vates of albumen produced by a series 

 of chemical changes involving hydro- 

 lysis, and in connection with this 

 subject the investigations of O. Nasse 

 and P. Schutzenberger have already 

 paved the way for the comprehension 

 of results which may be expected to 

 speedily attend new researches into 

 the chemistry of diseases. I particu- 

 larly refer to such investigations as 

 those conducted by Selmi with refer- 

 ence to pathological basis formed in 

 the tissues and to the experiments of 

 the same investigator, Faterno and 

 others concerning the formation of 

 ptomaines and the alkaloids produced 

 in putrefaction. It may be remem- 

 bered that Selmi, suspecting that in 

 various diseases poisonous substances 

 are formed in the tissues, and that 

 these determine the death of the 

 patient, analyzed the urine of patients 

 -affected with progressive paralysis, 

 miliary fever and rheumatic tetanus 

 and found in all cases that poisonous 

 bases were present. One of these 

 bases resembled nicotine in its proper- 

 ties, while another had the odor of 

 Conine, and a third substance (among 

 others) was obtained which was 

 white and crystalline and was capable 

 of determining the conversion of 

 starch into glucose. 



These facts, and the well ascer- 

 tained formation of poisonous alka- 

 loids among the products of putrefied 

 albumen, not to speak of what is 

 known regarding the physiological 

 action of alkaloids generally, includ- 

 ing abrin (from jequirity-seeds), may 

 all be regarded as preparatory evi- 

 dence of the production both in and 

 out of the human body of highly 

 poisonous substances, or infectants. 



by the agency of micro-organisms. 

 In conclusion, I wish to add that I 

 am now carrying on a series of inves- 

 tigations concerning the chemical 

 history of some micro-organisms, and 

 I am confident, from the results 

 already obtained, that they will lend 

 strong confirmation to the views I 

 have herein expressed concerning the 

 relations of micro-organisms to dis- 

 ease and the qualifications of disinfec- 

 tants. 



Staiuiiig Tissues in Microscopy.* 



BY PROF. HANS GIERKE. 



[ Continued from p. ^j6.] 



96. Calberla. Ein Beitrag zur mi- 

 ki-oskopischen T e c h n i k , 

 Morph. Jahrbuch, iii, 1877, 

 p. 625. 

 Calberla introduced methyl green 

 and indulin into microscopy. A 

 watery solution of the first differen- 

 tiates the elemental tissues. The 

 nuclei of the cells of the subcutane- 

 ous connective tissue, of the vessels 

 and nerve-sheaths, stain red, the 

 corium cells violet and those of the 

 Malpighian network greenish blue. 

 A combination of methyl green and 

 eosin is highly recommended. (See 

 double staining) . Indulin is soluble 

 in warm water and dilute alcohol. 

 A dark blue aqueous solution is best, 

 or a concentrated solution diluted 

 with six times its volume of water. 

 Sections remain in this 5 to 20 min- 

 utes, and may be cleared up in gly- 

 cerin or oil of cloves. Indulin stains 

 the cell contents, and especially the 

 intercellular substance, never nuclei. 



[* Note by translator. — The anilin colors are chief- 

 ly obtained from coal tar by a series of complex 

 chemical leactions The manufacture began in 1856, 

 and nearly all are made in Germany. The first sam- 

 ples put on the market were not all permanent, but 

 by improvements in the manufacture of some, and 

 substitution in other cases, tliey are now as unlading 

 as any other class of dyes 'I'heir coloring p .wer is 

 very great, a few grains would color all the material 

 required by a microscop'st, and they can readily be 

 obtained by mail from importers, such as Pickhardt 

 ani Kuttroflf, 98 Liberty St., and Lutz and Movins, 15 

 Warren St., New York City, Read Holliday Sons, 45 

 N. Front st., I'hilada., H. A. Gould & Co., 17 Pearl 

 St., Boston.] 



