96 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [April, 



having at its other extremity a socket, e, and capable of movement 

 in the same plane with said hand-piece, and the further combina- 

 tion of both said hand-piece a and arm <: with a post,y, by means 

 of a ball-and-socket joint formed by inserting the ball / into which 

 posty is screwed into the socket e and adjustable by screw cap ^, 

 and the further combination of all these said three parts of the 

 handle with the lens placed upon a needle point, /, the termina- 

 tion of a post,_/, all substantially as set forth. An improved han- 

 dle of a simple dissecting microscope, consisting of three parts, to 

 wit : A grooved hand-piece, a, an arm c, and a post, /, terminat- 

 ing in a needle point, y, upon which the lens is placed, said parts 

 l:)eing combined and united substantially as set forth. 



EDITORIAL. 



The Mici-oscope. — The periodical bearing this name was 

 started eleven years ago (in April, 1881), at Ann Arbor, Mich., 

 by Dr. and Mrs. C. H. Stowell, who entered into a vigorous 

 competition with The American Mo7ithly Microscopical yotir- 

 nal^ which had lieen previously established by Prof. Romyn 

 Hitchcock. The latter replied witli scathing criticisms, some just 

 and some apparently unjust. The most intense rivalry was created, 

 and, although apparently losing money, for five years the contest 

 went on, neither being willing to yield the field. But in August, 

 1 886, the ill-health of Mrs. Stowell was announced, and 77/^ Mi- 

 croscope was transferred to Detroit, whei'e a board of four editors 

 assumed control. At about the same time. Prof. Hitchcock was 

 invited by Prof. Todd to become a member of the eclipse party 

 which was going to Japan, and he accepted. Both periodicals 

 were now in new hands, and the era of hostility closed. 



Had the competition been free from ill-feeling, it is likely that 

 one of the two periodicals would have died out in a few months, 

 for there never has been standing room for both, and the net profits 

 of neither have ever been worth mentioning. At no time have 

 the two combined ever had 3,000 subscribers, and yet either one 

 could always have had a paying existence if it could have con- 

 trolled the field. 



It is an interesting incident that Dr. Stowell, since parting with 

 The Microscope, has come to Washington to live, and the very 

 month in which the magazine he founded has found its way to 

 the same city (March, 1893), he has started anew medical jour- 

 nal called The National Medical Reviezi\ to which his old 

 microscopical friends will doubtless want to subscribe, the price 

 being only one dollar per annum. Mrs. Stowell is one of the 

 microscopists in the Agricultural Department, and Prof. Hitch- 

 cock is also here, having just returned from a two-years' trip to 

 China. 



To run The Microscope as well as it has been run was found, 



