36 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[February, 



otherwise prepai'ing minute organ- 

 isms for mounting, so as to reveal 

 their internal structure. In giving 

 Dr. Gruber's method of staining pro- 

 tozoa, in addition to the others, it is 

 with the desire that our readers 

 should have a method at command 

 which has proved entirely successful 

 by application to one of the most 

 common microscopic organisms, Ac- 

 tinosphcBriutn. This organism is 

 best killed under the cover-glass by 

 running in a 20-per-cent. solution of 

 chromic acid, although Mr. Saville 

 Kent recommends the use of a solu- 

 tion of iodine for the purpose, as 

 already mentioned in these columns. 

 For killing amoebaa absolute alcohol 

 serves very well. Wiegert's picro- 

 carmine is the staining agent used by 

 Dr. Gruber, dilute alcohol being used 

 to wash the specimens. 



By staining with the picro-carmine 

 the author was able, after the exami- 

 nation of numerous specimens of 

 Actinosphcerium^ to observe the di- 

 vision of the nucleus. This phe- 

 nomenon takes place very rapidly, 

 and all appearance of fission disap- 

 pears very quickly after division. 

 Hence it is seldom observed, and 

 must be sought for with great care. 



The same is true of Amoeba pro- 

 tens. Division is but rarely observed 

 in the nucleus, and when it does take 

 place it seems to be a very simple 

 form of division, in which the nu- 

 cleus is first seen to divide into two 

 parts, after which the new cortical 

 layer of the daughter nuclei is devel- 

 oped between them. 



The author thus distinguishes be- 

 tween what he designates as indirect 

 division, in which the nucleoli are 

 primarily affected, and direct divi- 

 sion, in which the nucleus divides by 

 the ordinary hour-glass constriction. 

 o 



Trichina in Pork. — A few years 

 ago no one would have supposed the 

 American hog to be capable of at- 

 tracting so much attention and creat- 

 ing such a stir in high places as it has 

 lately done. Whether the Govern- 



ment of France will be made to trem- 

 ble down to its foundations for casting 

 an unjust slight upon our porkers re- 

 mains to be seen. 



It appears that considerable energy 

 has been displayed by some persons 

 in France to make it seem dangerous 

 to use American pork as an article of 

 diet, and, as though to keep the breeze 

 blowing, one of the gentlemen en- 

 gaged in investigating the diseases of 

 domestic animals for our own De- 

 partment of Agriculture recently con- 

 trived to get the Department into hot 

 water about the matter, and has found 

 it necessary to deny the authorship of 

 certain remarks attributed to him and 

 publicly repeated in Paris. 



M. Paul Bert, one of the leading 

 physicians in his country, has placed 

 himself in an embarrassing position 

 before the world, all on account of 

 the American porker. He has made 

 himself responsible for the publicly 

 expressed opinion that trichinaisis is 

 not uncommon in France. This, 

 however, is quite contrary to the 

 opinions of medical gentlemen in 

 general, and it appears very much as 

 though M. Bert had said that which 

 is not quite true for the purpose of 

 injuring the prospects of the innocent 

 American hog. M. Bert's confreres 

 in the medical profession must feel 

 greatly flattered by his explanation of 

 why he holds opinions so different 

 from theirs. In brief, it is this : They 

 mistake trichinaisis for typhoid fever ! 

 Such little episodes as this, perhaps, 

 lead -the way to a better knowledge 

 of the subject than would otherwise 

 be obtained, for it is likely this soft 

 impeachment of French physicians 

 by one of their number will raise a 

 commotion that will ensure correct 

 diagnosis of trichinaisis hereafter. 



To bring the matter home, when 

 the subject was first brought before 

 the United States authorities, it was 

 impossible for them to say much 

 about it. Nobody could tell what 

 proportion of American pork was in- 

 fested with the worms. The subject 

 had to be investigated. It has been 



