RINGWORM 141 



Remove the hairs from the stain, and place them on a slide; 

 if already on a slide, pour off the stain. Dry them with 

 blotting-paper, and pour on the iodine solution; allow it to 

 act for five or ten minutes. It is an advantage to blot the 

 specimen after a minute or two, and apply a fresh lot of the 

 solution. Blot thoroughly. 



Now decolorize in the solution of hydrochlorate of aniline 

 in aniline oil. This should be poured off and replaced occa- 

 sionally, and the specimen examined under a low power of 

 the microscope. The process may be hastened by warming 

 to blood-heat. When the decolorization appears to be com- 

 plete (it may take many hours in the cold), pour off the solu- 

 tion and replace it by aniline oil ; allow this to act for an hour 

 or more, renewing it occasionally. 



If the specimen is not to be kept permanently it may now 

 be mounted in balsam and examined at once. If it is to be 

 kept the aniline oil must be washed out by several applica- 

 tions of xylol. Mount in balsam. 



Adamson's method gives good results, but is somewhat more 

 tedious. 



Requisites. I. Liquor potassae. 



2. Dilute alcohol about 15 per cent. 



3. Aniline gentian violet or its substitutes. 



4. Gram's iodine solution. 



5. Aniline oil. 



6. Xylol. 



7. Blotting-paper. 



8. Slides, cover-glasses, and balsam. 



Process. Prepare the fragments of hair as before, reject- 

 ing the free portions. Place them on a slide, add a drop or 

 two of liquor potassae, and apply a cover-glass. Allow the 

 liquor to act for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes. 



Now place a larg'e drop of dilute spirit at one edge of the 

 cover-glass, and a piece of blotting'-paper at the opposite 

 edge; this will suck up the potash, and the spirit will run in 

 and replace it. After a few minutes lift up the cover-glass 

 and wash the hairs gently in more spirit. This will harden 

 them. Dry. If epithelial scales are being- examined, they 

 may be fixed to the slide or cover-glass by heat in the usual 

 way. 



Stain in aniline gentian violet for half an hour or less. 



