16 THE AMEKICAN MONTHLY [January, 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



Washington, D. C. — L. M. Mooers, Secy, 

 Dece7nber lo^ i88g. — 97th meeting. A letter was received from Mr. 

 H. Doubleday, presenting to the Society ten boxes of slides prepared 

 by Arthur J. Doherty, of Manchester, England. A paper was read by 

 Mr. V. A. Moore on " The media employed in the cultivation of Bac- 

 teria, with the method of preparing some of the more important varie- 

 ties." It is difficult to differentiate germs by microscopic examination 

 alone, but they are now diagnosed by their behavior on culture media. 

 Every germ shows on a proper medium a characteristic and constant 

 form. A most important consideration in culture studies is the thorough 

 sterilization of the medium, without which satisfactory results cannot 

 be obtained. To beef infusion, i per cent, of peptone, ^ of sodium 

 chloride, and 2 c.c. sod.-carb. are added, filtered cold and sterilized by 

 boiling at intervals. Short boiling at intervals makes sterilization more 

 certain, and gives a better culture medium than prolonged boiling at 

 one time. The preparation of the various other liquid media was de- 

 scribed, and also the behavior of different germs on them. The prin- 

 cipal solid media are agar, serum, gelatin, and potato. Gelatin is ster- 

 ilized by boiling three minutes for five successive days. One difficulty 

 in the preparation of agar is the formation of precipitates. This can 

 hardly be avoided even with the greatest care. Potato is easily pre- 

 pared, and is one of the best of media for many varieties of germ. 



The St. Louis Club of Microscopists. 

 October 7, i88g. — C. M. Nicholson read a paper on the microscopy 

 of the mountain sage. It was accompanied by specimens from the 

 drug. C. C. Ferris continued the subject of mounting mediums for 

 starches. A. C. Speth announced that he had found a substance in 

 caramel similar to glycyrrhizin. E. J. Nitzschmann presented speci- 

 mens of the different kinds of lice found on the human body, and ex- 

 plained how they were mounted. 



Brooklyn Medical Microscopical Society. 

 2ytk Meetings Nov. 6, i88g. — Dr. Heitzmann presided at the Hoag- 

 land Laboratory. Dr. L. E. Tieste, of Brooklyn, was elected to mem- 

 bership. A. demonstration of prorosperm, the anthrax bacillus, and the 

 microccus tetragonus was made by Dr. Van Cott. This called forth 

 discussion by Drs. Wilson, Weeks, Heitzmann, and Van Cott, in which 

 the value of tetragonus as a factor in the diagnosis of developing lung 

 cavities was maintained. 



28th Meeting, Dec. 4., i88g. — The Society met at the Hoagland Labo- 

 ratory, the President, Dr. C. Heitzmann, occupying the chair. The 

 names of Drs. Eugene Hodenpyl and Ira T. Van Giesen were pro- 

 posed for membership. Thfc paper was by Dr. E. H. Wilson, on the 

 " Technical Methods for the Central Nervous System." 



The paper was warmly discussed by Drs. Shaw, C. Heitzmann, L. 

 Heitzmann, Eccles, Bates, and Lennox, the consensus of opinion being 

 in favor of the haematoxylin method of Weigert. 



