376 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Dec 



A New Method of Demonstrating the Presence of Ma- 

 larial Organisms in the Blood. — Prepare blood films in the 

 usual way and let dry in the air ; then fix for a few min 

 utes in absolute alcohol. After drying-, the fixed blood 

 films are exposed to the vapors of iodine for from ten to 

 fifteen minutes. To this end some metallic iodine is placed 

 in a small glass dish provided with a well-fitting cover,and 

 the specimens, blood-side down upon little tripods of glass 

 or a similar contrivance, so as not to come in direct contact 

 with the iodine. When the specimens present a well-mark- 

 ed yellow color tbey are removed, carefully dusted off with 

 a camel's hair brush and mounted in a drop of syrup of 

 levulose. The color of the red blood corpuscles is now 

 very like that of the fresh blood, somewhat intensified, 

 and the malarial organisms appear as in fresh specimens. 

 If the finger has been carefully cleansed and clean glasses 

 have been used, no foreign material will be present to in- 

 terfere with the examination. Unfortunately the color of 

 the red corpuscles fades after twelve to twenty-four hours, 

 so that the preparations cannot be preserved. For teach- 

 ing purposes the method will be found very convenient at 

 times when fresh specimens of malarial blood cannot be 

 readily procured. — Md. Med. Journal. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



Manchester Society. — We have received from the Man- 

 chester Microscopical Society their Annual Report and 

 Transactions for the year 1898. Most of the papers are 

 well illustrated with excellent plates. Mr. A. T. Gillan- 

 ders on "Scale Insects," Mr. W. H. Pepworth on Myxo- 

 mycetes," Mr. W. Moss on "The Genitalia of the British 

 Hyalinia," Mr. Chas. Bailey on "Maize," Mr. Frank Paul- 

 den on "Peripatus leuckarti," an Australasian form, and 

 Mr. William Blackburn on "Myriothelaphrygia." The an- 

 nual address by the President, Prof. Weiss, of Owen's 

 College, is printed in full, the subject being "Life." Be- 

 sides the usual field-work the Society has a sub-section for 

 practical work in mounting and technique. It possesses a 



