PART I. 



PRINCIPLES OF BACTERIOLOGICAL 

 TECHNIQUE. 



THE WORKING TABLE OR BENCH. 



I. The bench or work-table must be horizontal and steady, 4 feet 

 by 2 feet 4 inches on top, and 2 feet 4 inches high. The surface of 

 the table is covered with a piece of plain brown linoleum, which can 

 be renewed when necessary. Piano stools make the best seats, being 

 adjustable for height and convenient for any desired position. A 

 sheet of plate or other thick glass is laid on the left hand side of the 

 table, with pieces of black and white paper underneath, forming a 

 background ; two pieces of coloured glass can also be used, one 

 piece milk-white and the other black, according as the specimens 

 under examination are stained or unstained. Watch glasses, capsules, 

 slides, etc., under naked-eye examination are placed on either the 

 white or black surface. 



1. Unstained specimens or sections are best seen on the black. 



2. Stained specimens on the white. 



3. The black surface is the most suitable for isolating the 



caseous portions of suspected sputum. 



Opposite and within easy reach of the operator a rack is placed 

 to hold the stains and reagents in daily use (see 2). A solid 

 block of wood with a number of circular holes bored in it is the most 

 convenient rack. A Bunsen burner is placed on the right hand side 

 of the table, but in the absence of gas a spirit lamp answers the 

 purpose. On a shelf 3 or 4 feet above the right side of the table a 

 large bottle of distilled water is placed, with a rubber tube and 

 water pinch-cock attached to its distal extremity, descending to a 

 circular glass dish within easy reach of the operator, for washing 

 excess stain, etc., from specimens. 



