lOO THK AMERICAN MONTHLY [March 



Revival of an Old Histological Method for Rapid Diag- 

 nosis. Dr. A. A. Kimthack ;ind Mr. T. S. Pig^g" found, of 

 all rapid mctliods of hardeninij: tissue, that of immersing- 

 small blocks in boiling- wator for three or four minutes or 

 in the caseof delicatetissueone minute, wasthe most rapid. 

 The tissue could then be at once out on the freezing micro- 

 tome, and the section stained well with logwood or other 

 dyes; or it could be preserved in alcohol or Muller's fiuid. 

 or treated by the parafhn method. Vov rapid diagnosis in 

 the case of surgical operations, it was particularly valuable. 

 —British Medical .lournal. 



Stains for Vegetable Tissues. Dr. K. Vinassa has in- 

 vestigated the value of aniline colors for staining vegeta- 

 ble tissues, an<l divides tlieni into three groups onl\' : saf- 

 ranin. congo-red, benzopurpurins, etc.; those affecting 

 ligniiied tissues, collenchyma vessels, and nuclear sheaths 

 --•vesu\in. \'ictoria green, chrysoidin, violet, methyl green, 

 fuchsin, etc.; and stains that merely differentiate, such as 

 Victoria blues B, RKRR, and BB, which color the thick- 

 ened cells darker than the surounding tissue, and thus 

 render them more conspicuous. To ensure sections l)eing 

 well stained, all protoplasm, etc., must be got rid of. This 

 is effected with soda lye, washing with much water (acidi- 

 fied with acetic acid if necessary), and then allowing to 

 drain. Afterwards immerse in a '- to 1 ]ier cent lukewarm 

 stain solution for two or three minutes, and again wash un- 

 til the water runs clear. 



For double staining, first put sections in the stain affect- 

 ing the lignificd tissue, thickened cell-walls, etc., wash well 

 and transfer to stain for parenchyma. This should be 

 heated to l'»(» C. and renderetl slightly alkaline. Colors 

 which are fast on cotton were found to stain ])arenchyma, 

 whilst those that dve wool oi" silk directly stain the thick- 

 ened cell-wall, etc. Suitable mordants (tannin, acetate of 

 lead, etc.) for fixing tiie colors must be found l)y experi- 

 ment. 



The .sterilization of Milk. J. A. Korret has examined 

 various methods for the sterilization of milk and finds that 



