164 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY, [September, 



tissue and in the bone-marrow by a 

 sort of budding from the ordinary red 

 blood-corpuscles. In the conditions 

 above mentioned, particularly after 

 hemorrhages and in profound anae- 

 mia, the red corpuscles often present 

 great irregularities in outline. In 

 fresh specimens of spleen and bone- 

 marrow the author has seen these lit- 

 tle particles become detached from 

 the blood-cells moving about in the 

 currents on the slide, and when so de- 

 tached presenting all the characters 

 and appearances of the microcytes. 



Papers were also read by Dr. Osier 

 on " The Third Corpuscular Ele- 

 ment in the Blood," and " The De- 

 velopment of Blood-corpuscles in the 

 Bone-marrow ; " and one by Prof. 

 William Libbey on " A New Form 

 of Constant Injection Apparatus." We 

 regret not to have abstracts of these 

 papers, which, although very short, 

 were valuable. 



Dr. Osier also read a valuable pa- 

 per entitled 



DEMONSTRATION OF THE BACILLUS 

 OF TUBERCULOSIS. 



This paper was illustrated by two 

 slides — one of the bacillus of tubercle 

 stained and mounted, the other the 

 bacillus of anthrax, also stained, 

 shown for purposes of comparison. 

 The difference in size between the 

 two forms was striking. 



The process of demonstration de- 

 scribed, was substantially as follows : 

 The substance to be examined, after 

 drying on the cover-glass in the 

 usual manner, is first treated with 

 caustic potash. The bacilli are then 

 visible, but to render them more 

 distinct, and to distinguish them 

 from any other forms that may be 

 present, the cover is flowed with a 

 solution of anilin violet, which stains 

 all the other bacilli, but leaves the 

 organism in question quite colorless. 

 The preparation shown was not 

 made by this process, for in it the 

 bacilli were stained. 



Dr. Louis Elsberg, of New York, 

 read a paper entitled 



PLANT- CELLS AND LIVING 

 MATTER. 



This article was merely a continua- 

 tion of a series of contributions 

 which have been emanating from a 

 few gentlemen in New York City, dur- 

 ing several years, of which no notice 

 has heretofore been taken in these col- 

 timns for the reason that the Editor 

 has not wished to assist in the dissem- 

 ination of speculations, which, he is 

 convinced, are based upon erroneous 

 interpretations of facts even if the 

 observations themselves should prove 

 to be correct. However, now that 

 the subject has been brought up and 

 discussed before the section of the 

 Association, it demands at least a 

 passing notice here. Throwing aside, 

 for the present, the account of some 

 observations on plant-structure which 

 the author described, and which only 

 the want of suitable notes prevents 

 us from giving in detail, we pass to 

 the essential feature of the paper, 

 which was the exposition of the "bio- 

 plasson theory." The bioplasson 

 theory is opposed to the theory of 

 cells. All living matter — bioplasson 

 — is supposed to be made up of re- 

 ticulations of living substance with 

 inert matter filling the reticulum. 

 It is said that the reticulum can be 

 easily demonstrated by microscopic 

 observation — that one has only to 

 look for it and it will be found — that 

 it exists in the white blood-corpuscle, 

 and in the amoeba, and can be seen 

 in them v/ithout the use of reagents. 

 In the paper referred to the author 

 assumed this to be true, and nothing 

 in the paper would lead one to doubt 

 that it was a doctrine universally up- 

 held by biologists. But after the 

 paper was read, and some com- 

 plimentary words had been spoken 

 for the author, the Editor of this 

 Journal, arose and protested against 

 the general acceptance of views so 

 radically at variance with previous 

 knowledge and observation, until they 

 have been thoroughly examined. He 

 called in question the very existence 



