328 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct. 



leucocyte to every thi'i e or four red corpuscles : hence a serious 

 change in the histological composition of the blood has already 

 taken plaec. 



You will recognize, in the specimen, leucocytes, which con- 

 tain two or more nuclei. It is this multiple nucleus that is so 

 characteristic in these cases. In the normal reproduction of 

 cells, there is always some symmetry in tlie splitting up of the 

 })rotoplasm in th-i formation of new cells, technically called 

 karyokinesis. In these leucocytes no such characteristic process 

 can be seen, hut instead, thero is an irregular sylitting of the 

 protoplasm; in other words, instead of karyokinesis you see 

 here a beautiful picture of the process of fragmentation of the 

 nucleus. It has been shown by Klebs and others long ago, 

 that fragmentation is an entirely different process from karyo- 

 kinesis, one meaning the reproduction of cells, ,the other a 

 destruction of them. The nucleus is broken up in such a 

 manner that it is unable to reproduce its own kind, and later 

 undergoes molecular degeneration and is destroyed; hence the 

 transformation of white into red blood-corpuscles does not 

 take })lace. This is the reason why the patient becomes more 

 anaemic, and is the direct cause of that pr.»gessive anasmic, and 

 so invariably found in connection with splenic leukajmia. 



NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



Ohject Lessons in Botany from Forest, Field, Wayside and Gar- 

 den. By P^dwa^d Snelgrove, London, 1895, 297 pp. with 158 

 figures. 



This book is well spoken of and designed to aid teachers in 

 giving a course of 100 lessons to boys and girls, leading them 

 over the paths by which they will discover scientific facts in 

 the order and by the steps through which the originil dis- 

 coveries were made. We will speak more fully after hav- 

 ing seen a copy of the book. 



Insect Life. We are sorry to learn that this periodical has 

 been discontinued. It was established by Prof. C. V. Riley a 

 few years ago and strangely comes to its end at about the date 

 of the death of its founder. We fear that an error has been 

 made in suspending its publication. 



