40 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [February, 



trial a physician brought me a slide with blood, which he said was 

 taken from a patient who, he thought, had syphilis. I found the spores 

 inactive motion. i\t the trial this same physician was called to the 

 stand, but was non-committal and got away as soon as he could. I was 

 then shown the slide that he had brought to me, and on being ques- 

 tioned testified that I had found the evidence of syphilitic blood in it. 

 It then transpired that a trap had been laid for me, for the blood in the 

 slide was obtained from the prisoner. Still, my evidence was positive, 

 for a physician testified that he had treated him for syphilis. This 

 time the suspect was convicted and sentenced for life. [Ephraim Cutter, 

 M. D., a paper read at the meeting of the American Medical Associa- 

 tion, June, 1 889. J 



In the discussion following the reading of Dr. Cutter's paper, the 

 trend of opinion was that the observed globular bodies were broken up 

 blood corpuscles, and not microbic spores. 



"The Mechanism of Immunity." — In a recent number of the 

 British Medical Journal^ Mr. E. H. Hankin publishes that he has pre- 

 pared from cultures of anthrax an albumose which, when injected into 

 mice or rabbits, protects these animals against the action of the anthrax 

 bacillus. This goes to support the theory that the agent of immunity is 

 a chemical substance — a by-product of microbic growth. Granted this, 

 and the step to chemical synthesis of the protective agent is a short one. 



Prof. H. N. Lyon. — Recognizing that the study of pathology can- 

 not be profitably pursued until a knowledge of the tissues in health has 

 been obtained, the Hahnemann Medical College offers especial advan- 

 tages in its department of Histology and Microscopy. In addition to 

 hearing the didactic lectures, the student has opportunity of becoming 

 familiar with the use of the microscope and with micro-histological 

 methods, by practical work in the laboratory. Dr. Lyon occupies the 

 chair adjunct to the chair of Histology and demonstrator of Histology 

 and Microscopy. 



Tuberculosis and Butcher's Meat. — The Nineteenth Century 

 for September, 1889, contains an artice by Henry Behrend, a Hebrew 

 physician of London, relating to the Hebrew method of butchering and 

 inspecting meat. If the statements therein made are facts, they show 

 (i) the great advantage of rigid meat inspections as a means of prevent- 

 ing tuberculosis ; (2) an alarming proportion of diseased animals ; and 

 (3) an equally alarming lack of altruism in the Hebrew race as regards 

 other races. 



We quote a few of the statements: " Of 13,116 beeves slaughtered 

 for the Hebrew trade in London in six months, only 6,973 were deemed 

 fit for Jewish use." " The average rejections for five years have been 

 forty per cent. But these rejections are often sold to the Gentiles for 

 food." " In a large practice of over thirty years he has never met a case 

 of consumption in a Jew, and other busy physicians make similar state- 

 ments." 



