140 



THE AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[July 



3 



showed pollen and anthers of flowers ; 

 Dr. Alan P. Smith showed the wing 

 of a butterfly ; Dr. Christopher Johnston 

 showed quinate of quinine and other 

 objects; Dr. H. Frohling showed the 

 tongue of a cat containing trichinse ; 

 Dr. Louis M. Eastman showed a cancer 

 of the breast, also trichinae in human mus- 

 cle and in pork ; Mr. Octavius Oudesleys 

 showed scales of a moth ; Mr. G. L. 

 Spies showed a very beautiful section of 

 an echinus-spine. 



IOWA MEDICAL SOCIETY (MICRO- 

 SCOPICAL SECTION). 



The Microscopical Section of the Iowa 

 State Medical Society met in the city of 

 Dubuque, on May 25th. 



The President, Prof. J. J. M. Angear, 

 delivered an extemporaneous address on 

 the use of the microscope, showing that 

 the microscope is one of the numerous 

 instruments which medical men use to aid 

 their senses — to carry their investigations 

 further than they could without it. The 

 scientific medical man could get along 

 without the stethoscope or the speculum 

 as well as without the microscope. 



To indicate its value in research, he 

 stated that if we were to blot out all 

 knowledge which has come to us through 

 the microscope, we should know no more 

 of cell-life and its wonder-working power 

 than the Hottentot does of the calculus. 

 Take away our knowledge of ciliated, 

 epithelial, glandular and nerve-cells, on 

 what would histology then rest.'* The 

 present medical science could not exist 

 but for the revelations of the microscope. 

 What should we know of a nerve-axis, 

 cylinder or neurilemma .'' The beauties 

 of a muscle — its fibrillae and sarcolemma 

 — would be utterly unknown to us. 



Without the microscope the blood ap- 

 pears to be simply a colored, homogene- 

 ous fluid. 



The microscope, in the hands of the 

 skillful, aids materially in bringing crim- 

 inals to the bar of justice, and vindicates 

 and clears the innocent. 



Some of the appearances of blood-cor- 

 puscles were illustrated by drawings on 

 the black-board, as was also Dr. Piper's 

 method of diagnosing human blood. In 

 all such cases the blood-corpuscles, and 

 not the micromillimetre, should be taken 

 as the unit of measurement. 



If the corpuscle does shrink, as some 

 claim, by drying, that is to the prisoner's 

 advantage, and he cannot complain. The 

 conscientious microscopist can rest as- 

 sured that if he errs on account of the 



contraction of the corpuscles, he errs on 

 the side of mercy. Dr. Wm. M. Eames, 

 being anxious to test whether human 

 blood can be identified in stains, sent 

 Prof. J. E. Smith some stains, marked al- 

 phabetically — some of them of human 

 blood and some not — requesting him to ex- 

 amine, and tell, if possible, which were hu- 

 man. Prof. Smith used a power of 4,000 

 diameters and camera lucida, drawing the 

 corpuscles on paper. When he had 

 concluded his examination, he went before 

 a notary public and swore that the speci- 

 mens marked " F " and " I " were human 

 blood, and forwarded the same to Dr. 

 Eames. Dr. Eames then wrote to Prof. 

 Smith : " Your report of the examination 

 of specimens of blood-stains I sent you 

 is received. Much to my surprise you have 

 made no mistake in regard to any of the 

 nine specimens submitted. The two 

 marked " F " and " I " are, as you pro- 

 nounced them, human blood." 



The doctor closed by giving some illus- 

 trations on the black-board, and making 

 some remarks on the detection of forgery 

 by the microscope. 



A number of microscopes with anatom- 

 ical slides were on the tables during the 

 entire session of the Medical Society. 



Dr. Mcintosh, of Chicago, interested 

 the Society for an hour, on the morning 

 of the second day, with his improved solar 

 microscope. 



Prof. J. J. M. Angear, of Fort Madison, 

 was reelected President, and Prof. W. D. 

 Middleton, of Davenport, was reelected 

 Secretary. 



The Section adjourned to meet at Des 

 Moines, the last Wednesday in January, 

 1882, at which time and place the Iowa 

 State Medical Society meets. 



Exchanges. 



[Exchanges are inserted in this column without 

 charge. They will be strictly limited to mounted 

 objects, and material for mounting.] 

 Wanted — Human Muscle with Trichina, in ex- 

 change for well-mounted slides of vegetable drugs. 



OTTO A. WALL. M. p., , 



1027 St. Ange Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 



Living l^olvox globator^ in any quantity, for moun- 

 ted Algae or other slides. 



J. M. ADAMS, Watertown, N. Y. 



Niagara River Filterings for mounted slides. 



H. POOLE, Buffalo, N. Y. 



Wanted — good gatherings of Diatoms, fossil or re- 

 cent, especially of test forms. Liberal exchange in fine 

 slides ; prepared or rough material. Lists exchanged. 



C. L. PETICOLAS, 635 8th Street, Richmond,Va. 



