126 THE AMEHICAN MONTHLY [May, 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



The St. Louis Club of Microscopists. 

 January j, iSgz. — The monthly meeting was at the St. Louis 

 College of Pharmacy building. Dr. J. C. Falk, the president, gave 

 a paper on the Examination of Sediments in Urine. The Club 

 ordered several books added to the library. This organization is 

 just coming to be one of the foremost of its kind, though the present 

 quarters are not hardly suitable. When the new St. Louis Col- 

 lege of Pharmacy building is completed it will have quarters in 

 that building, where members and their friends can goat anytime 

 and use the fine lot of slides and literature of all kinds. 



Washington, D. C. 



Tuesday^ Jan. ig. — A paper was presented by Dr. Seaman 

 on the Radiolaria, with exhibition of a large number of slides from 

 Hajckel's collection from tlie C/irt;//c';/w'<?r expedition. Then fol- 

 lowed an exhibition by C. W. Smiley of Stratton's illuminating 

 apparatus. 



-Feb. 2. — Paper by Dr. V. A. Moore on recent methods for pre- 

 serving and examining sputum for tubercle bacilli, with exhibition 

 of slides illustrating the method. 



Feb. i6. — Paper by Dr. Geo. H. Penrose, with exhilMtion of 

 tubercular sputa undergoing treatment by creosote. 



Alai'. J. — Paper by Dr. W. W. Alleger on methods of preserv- 

 ing and mounting urinary deposit, accompanied with slides. 



The Montreal Microscopical Society. 



ya)i. J J. — It was expected that Prof. Cox would give a paper 

 on polarized light, bufowing to his indisposition the lecture had 

 to be postponed. Instead, the members were requested to bring 

 slides or other objects of interest, which several of them did, and 

 a very successful meeting resulted. 



Feb. 8. — Jos. Bernrose read a paper on '' Crystalline Forms 

 Modified by Impurity." The formation of crystals was carefully 

 explained, and the effect of impurities on the forms of crystals 

 described. Poisons forming crystals, it was stated, could be de- 

 tected, separated from food, examined microscopically, and the 

 kind of poison identified by its crystals. The lecturer had especi- 

 ally prepared a large number of slides to illustrate his subject, 

 which demonstrated that there was great beauty of form and 

 color, and also other delightful as well as scientific results to be 

 obtained by the careful study of crystals. The polarizer was 

 largely used in demonstrating tlie structure of the crystals ex- 

 hibited. 



Feb. 26. — A special meeting was held to hear Prof. Cox's 

 paper, "Polarized light: its usefulness in indicating structure." 

 Microscopical and electrical apparatus was used for extensively 

 illustrating the paper, an abstract of which will be furnished. 



