TUBERCULOSIS. 213 



Anilin, 4, 



Saturated alcoholic solution of gentian violet, 1 1, 

 Water, 100, 



and placed in an incubator or a paraffin oven, and kept 

 for twenty-four hours at about the temperature of the 

 body. When removed from the stain they are washed 

 momentarily in water, and then alternately in 25-33 

 per cent, nitric acid and 60 per cent, alcohol, until the 

 blue color of the gentian violet is almost entirely lost. 

 It must be remembered that the action of the strong acid 

 is a powerful one, and that too long a time must not be 

 allowed for its application. A total immersion of thirty 

 seconds is quite enough in most cases. After final thor- 

 ough washing in 60 per cent, alcohol the specimen is 

 counter-stained in a dilute aqueous solution of Bismarck 

 brown or vesuvin. The excess of stain is then washed 

 off in water, and the specimen is dried and mounted in 

 balsam. The tubercle bacilli will appear of a fine dark 

 blue, while the pus-corpuscles, epithelial cells, and other 

 bacteria, having been decolorized by the acid, will be 

 colored brown by the counter-stain. 



This method, requiring twenty-four hours for its com- 

 pletion, is naturally one which has fallen into disuse for 

 practitioners who desire in the briefest possible time to 

 know simply whether bacilli are present in the sputum 

 or not. 



Among clinicians Ziehl's method with carbol-fuchsin 

 has met with great favor. After having been spread, 

 dried, and fired, the cover-glass is held in the bite of an 

 appropriate forceps (cover-glass forceps), and the stain 1 

 dropped upon it from a pipette. As soon as the entire 

 cover-glass is covered with stain it is held over the flame 

 of a spirit-lamp or a Bunsen burner until the stain begins 

 to volatilize a little, as indicated by a white vapor. When 



1 Carbol-fuchsin (see p. 86) : 



Fuchsin, I ; 



Alcohol, 10; 



5 per cent, phenol in water. 100. 



