1891.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 69 



34. Remember that acetate of lead loses some of its acetic acid when 

 exposed to the air. 



35. Remember that cocaine and borax form an insoluble borate of 

 cocaine, while boric acid and cocaine do not. 



26. Remember that black lead is not plumbum, but a form of carbon. 



37. Remember that eulyptol is a proprietary preparation, and differs 

 from eucalyptol. 



38. Remember that five parts of phenol with ninety-five parts of 

 water, or five parts of water with ninety-five parts of phenol, form 

 clear mixtures. 



39. Remember this much of the Metric system: 1,000 milligrams 

 make i gram; 1,000 grams or cubic centimeters make i kilo or liter; 

 1,000 kilos make i ton ; 65 milligrams make i grain ; 15^ grains make 

 I gram ; 31 grams make i ounce troy. 



Medical Microscopy. 



By F. BLANCHARD, M. D. 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 



Absence of Casts in Nephritic Urine. — We do not always find 

 casts in specimens of urine taken from typical cases of nephritis. The 

 reason is that the casts are dissolved after their formation, either by chemi- 

 cal solvents, or, more frequently, from the presence of pepsin in the urine. 

 This solution may take place either in the bladder or after the urine is 

 passed, if it is allowed to stand in a warm room. Therefore, exami- 

 nations should be made with specimens recently passed and which have 

 remained in the bladder only a short time. — -S. Sehi'zvald iit Deutsch 

 Med. Wochenschrift. iSgo., No. 24. 



St. Petersburg is to have an institution for the study of bacteriology 

 to cost $330,000. 



Efforts to Cultivate Cancer Germs. — Endeavors made by Drs. C. 

 A. Ballance and S. G. Shattock to produce artificial cultures of supposti- 

 tious cancer germs have yielded purely negative results. The culture- 

 medium used y^as blood serum. Notwithstanding these results, the 

 authors do not claim that the theory of the parasitic origin of cancer 

 is overthrown. They suggest that the micro-organism of cancer may 

 belong to the Protozoa., and not to the Protophyta. — Proceedings of 

 the Royal Society. 



The Koch Excitejnent. — We quote from our contemporaries some 

 opinions regarding the reputed wonderful discovery of Koch. 



The Sotctherjt Medical Pecord a-dviscs us not to " fly off' the handle " 

 at every suggestion of a new and wonderful discovery. 



Phe Buffalo Medical and Surgical yournal 8SLy& : "' First, patients 

 should not rush to Berlin under the hope that cure is at hand, and sec- 

 ond, the profession ought not to use the remedv until they know what 

 it is." 



Phe Brooklyn Aledical Journal says : " It is too early to pronounce 

 the treatment a success, and the greatest boon to humanity of the nine- 

 teenth century, etc." 



A writer in the Courier of Medicine says : " Of course there will be 



