14 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [January, 
NEw HISTOLOGICAL MICROSCOPE.—W.Watson & Sons, opticians to H. M. 
government, 313 High Holborn, London, W. C., advertise, with illustration 
of the instrument, a microscope which they term the ‘ New Histological,’ 
mounted on firm brass feet (tripod), has sliding body for coarse adjustment- 
plane and concave mirrors, with universal motion tube-fitting of universal 
size for understage apparatus, with special arrangements for oblique illumina- 
tion, set of diaphragms, pin-hole stop fitted with same improved form of fine- 
adjustment as supplied to their best instruments. ‘The entire instrument fin- 
ished in the best manner. From the figure in VVature, Nov. 11,86, it would 
seem that the body is very short indeed, thus rendering it-a very convenient 
shape, according to our notion. The instrument is furnished with ‘ C’ eye- 
piece, and + and t-inch first-class English objectives, giving range of from 
75 to 7oo diameters ; in mahogany cabinet, at the very low price of £4 15s. od. 
EDITORIAL. 
VoLtuME I and Number 1 of 7he Dental Review, devoted to the advance- 
ment of dental science, and published by W. T. Keener, Chicago, Ill., has 
recently been received. Weare pleased with its appearance and its claims, 
and most heartily wish it a successful, and that means, we trust, useful career. 
It contains articles on the periosteum and peridental membranes, with a very 
creditable plate; the germ theory in its relation to daily practice; gold foil ; 
oral surgery; doings of societies; correspondence; editorial review, and 
other matters. This first number is a well printed pamphlet of 56 pages, and 
in every respect a creditable magazine. We are especially glad to note the 
high-toned manner in which its editor introduces himself, proposing for his 
guidance the maxim, ‘ With malice toward none, with charity for all,’ and 
trust that he may be able to so maintain the difficult position of stating the 
truth fearlessly, and yet so impersonally, as to be able to leave out the element 
of rancor which we regret to ever see in the columns of any journal. 
) 
REEVES’ METHOD OF SECTION CUTTING.—We print in another portion of 
this number of the Yowzal a summary of a method of section cutting, which 
is highly recommended in a contemporary journal. We are not inclined to 
be censorious of the methods of other workers, or conservative regarding our 
own, but we believe that the method followed by Dr. Reeves, while it is in 
the main one of the best, has some defects which seriously limit its usefulness. 
If any of our readers should try Dr. Reeves’ method, and we hope that 
they will do so, we should be very glad if they would communicate their 
results to us. It seems that there are several points in the methods which 
experience teaches us are open to serious objection. 
First, the bath in the cold water for one hour or more cannot, so far as we 
can see, have any beneficial result. Certainly water cannot be regarded as a 
hardening reagent, and we see no object in washing out the tissue, as excess 
of blood, etc., will not affect the cell structure, not being in the cells. On the 
contrary, the more unnecessary changes the tissue is subjected to the worse. 
Water is well known as almost the most destructive reagent to all structure, 
and will work most effectively on the outside cells—the very ones which the 
histologist expects to be the best, as they are best situated for hardening action. 
A second mistake, as we think, is the direct transfer from turpentine to 60° 
C., parafiine. This we have often tried, with the invariable result that the 
tissue suffered seriously from shrinkage, and often grew too hard and brittle 
to be cut afterwards. This difficulty is, however, readily obviated by trans- 
ferring from turpentine to a mixture of turpentine and paraffine fluid, at room 
temperature, e. g., 70° F., and leaving it there at least 5 or 6 hours, or, if 
