266 THE F^CES. 



hour to dry. The filter-paper absorbs the moisture. Then inoculate 

 the surface of the plate with the fecal material. 



Muller's method for pancreatic functioning determination is to 

 give a colomel purge two hours after a meal. A little of the liquid 

 stool is smeared on the surface of blood-serum and the tube incubated 

 at 60 C. (paraffin oven). If the surface is smooth, no trypsin was 

 present; if dotted with spots of digestion liquefaction, it shows that the 

 pancreatic secretion is present. This should be tried with the Cam- 

 midge reaction of the urine. 



Epithelial cells are generally more or less disintegrated. In the 

 mucus of bacillary dysenteric stools, however, large intact phagocytic 

 cells are frequent, which may be mistaken for encysted amcebae. 



Triple phosphate crystals are frequently observed, as may also be 

 crystals of various calcium salts. Charcot-Leyden crystals are rather 

 indicative of helminthiases. 



Various flagellates, and in particular Lamblia, may be responsible 

 for diarrhceal conditions which may cause rather serious symptoms. 



Balantidium coli has been reported several times as the cause of 

 dysenteric conditions. Coccidiadea are found in the faeces. 



In the Philippines the Entamceba histolytica is the most important 

 of the animal infections. Besides examining for it in a cover-glass 

 preparation, we should attempt to make cultures. A diluted bouillon, 

 i : 10, containing i 1/2% agar, with a reaction about 1.5, is a satisfac- 

 tory medium. The most important points in success seem to be proper 

 symbiosis and proper reaction. In a series of four tubes containing 

 the same media, but with 2.5, 2, 1.5, and i, the amcebae may 

 only grow in one of the tubes. Walker recommends smearing a cover- 

 glass with suitable agar, then inoculating the surface, we invert it 

 over the hollow of a concave slide, sealing the margins with vaselin. 

 This enables us to study development with a high power of the 

 microscope. 



It is in the faeces we examine either for the parasites or for their ova 

 in connection with practically all the flukes, except the lung fluke and 

 the bladder fluke; for intestinal tseniases and for practically all the 

 round worms, except the filarial ones. 



In the tropics, the examination of the faeces vastly exceeds in value 



