56 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [ March, 
ences in collecting diatoms are these :—there is no time for collecting diatoms like that 
when they are to be found, and, like the old lady in ‘ The Hoosier Schoolmaster,’ ‘ when 
you re getting, get enough.’ 
LONGMEADOW, Mass. M. A. Booru. 
O——— 
To THE EDITOR :—Will you kindly inform me where, or how, I can obtain Wo. ¢ of - 
Vol. lof Zhe American Month. Micr. Journal? and oblige— 
Yours truly, C. O. WHITMAN. 
443 MARSHALL St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 
[If any one can respond to this request we shall be glad to hear from him.—ED. } 
MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 
The San Francisco Microscopical Society held its regular fortnightly meeting Wed- 
nesday evening, January 26, Dr. S. M. Mouser occupying the chair, 
D. W. Parkhurst, of this city, was elected a resident member. 
Dr. Stallard reported from the committee to which was referred the investigation of 
the alleged finding of Bacz//us tuberculosis in milk supplied by dairies of this city. 
He stated that several conferences had been held by the individual members of the 
committee with the microscopist of the Board of Health, but owing to the amount of 
work and time necessary for the full investigation of the subject, a complete report 
could not be presented. He was of the opinion that the method of Ehrlich, used in 
the preparation of the slides of milk submitted to the committee, would have to be 
modified, as while it was perfectly successful when applied to slides of sputum, its 
results were not so satisfactory for determining Aacz//7 in milk, owing probably to the 
fact that the oily matter in the latter interfered with the proper color reaction of the 
contained organisms. In this view the other members of the committee emphatically 
concurred. 
With reference to the actual finding of tubercle-bacilli in the slides submitted to the 
committee, the experience of the individual members was somewhat different. Dr. 
Mouser stated that after a patient search of some two hours, using a Zeiss oil-immer- 
sion ;/,-inch objective, he did not come across any undoubted specimens of the sought- 
for bacillus. Dr. Stallard, who used a Powell and Lealand -;/,-inch objective (homo- 
geneous immersion), had about the same experience. The third member of the 
committee, Dr. Henry Ferrer, after a protracted search with his Zeiss objectives, suc- 
ceeded in finding two undoubted specimens of Bacz//us tuberculosis. A more extended 
report will be filed by the committee at a subsequent meeting. 
As the subject is one of great importance, Dr. Ferrer gave an interesting résumé of 
the late researches of Dr. Bang on ‘“ Udder-tuberculosis and Tuberculous milk.” 
During the winter of 1884 this observer examined some thirteen cows affected with 
udder-tuberculosis in the various dairies and slaughter-houses in Copenhagen. The 
characteristics of the disease were minutely described, so as to be of service in diag- 
nosis. Although the udders of the infected animals soon became greatly swollen, yet 
the milk continues for a while to appear perfectly normal. This is a fact of great im- 
portance, for during this stage the milk is liable to be still used as nourishment and 
can thus be the cause of infection in man. Bang found that the milk of tuberculous 
cows contain Aacz//7 often in very large numbers and usually bearing spores. In the 
course of his experiments he fed three rabbits and five guinea-pigs with such milk, and 
all soon died from tuberculosis. Analysis of tuberculous milk showed that in the 
course of the disease the amount of albuminous compounds increased, while the fat 
and sugar of milk diminished. 
Mr. Howard exhibited a slide of Exteromorpha intestinalis (an alga growing both 
in salt and fresh water), with several specimens of attached marine Vorticel/e, both 
social and solitary forms. 
The State Mining Bureau asked for a report on a sample of diatomaceous earth found 
on the beach near Santa Monica, and said to be nearly, if not quite, equal to the cele- 
brated fragment found near the same locality some years ago. The specimen was 
referred to Mr. Norris and Mr. Howard for examination. 
A. H. BRECKENFELD, Pec. Secr. 
