320 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct. 



aij early positive diagnosis or prognosis can only be 

 reached by microscopical examination of the blood. 

 Fresh blood may be examined for plasmodium malaria 

 and when found is positive evidence of malarial 

 fever, also for the spirillum Obermier and when found 

 is positive evidence of relapsing fever. For diagnosis 

 of anthrax, and cases of filaria sanguinis hominis have 

 been brought to this country from the tropics. LuksB- 

 mia, pseudo luksemia, pernicious anaemia are diseases 

 in which a Thoma-Zeiss counting apparatus and Fleischel 

 hsematometer are necessary accessories to the microscope. 

 Examination of the exudate by the microscope in cases 

 of suspected diphtheria would clear up many doubtful 

 cases and improve our statistics wonderfully. I know 

 of many cases of follicular tonsilitis that were pronounced 

 diphtheria and cases of diphtheria are at times pronounced 

 tonsilitis. But there is a gradual increase in the num- 

 ber of physicians who are using microscopical methods 

 to clear up doubtful and obscure cases of diagnosis and 

 prognosis, and the time has come when the medical 

 practitioner, be he general or special, must make use of 

 this important means in diagnosis and prognosis or be 

 left behind in the race. 



On a Deep North Atlantic Deposit. 



By a. H. MAcKAY, B. A., B. Sc, LL.D., F. R. S. C. 



SUPEKINTENDENT OF EDUCATION FOE THE PROVINCE OF No^'A SCOTIA. 



Abstract of paper read 10th December at the Nova Scotian Institute of 

 Science, Halifax, N. S. 



The North Atlantic ooze was presented by Captain 

 Troot of the S. S. "Minia" of the Anglo-American Tele- 

 graph Company a few months before, when the material 

 was very soft and bulky. Since then the water has evap- 

 orated, leaving a hard mass of clayey mud less than 

 one quarter of the original bulk. The material contains a 

 large number of stones, pebbles and grains of sand, from 



