1898.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 141 



mesenterica in children, lupus, scrofula and many other 

 loathsome and unmentionable diseases are but different 

 forms of one and the same complaint, viz., tuberculosis. 

 In conclusion Dr. Klein said that though he would place 

 high in the list of famous achievements Simpson's dis- 

 covery of the use of chloroform, Jenner's method of vacci- 

 nation with calf-lymph, and Lister's antiseptic surgical 

 methods, yet he reserved the highest place of honor for 

 Koch's discovery of a method of isolating the bacillus of 

 that fell destroyer, tuberculosis. — Dr. Klein at the Royal 

 Institution, London, reported in the Phar. Jour., June 

 1898. 



Practical Suggestious. 



BY ly. A. WIIylySON, 

 ci,e;ve;i<and, ohio. 



Textile Fibres. — In the Agricultural Report referred 

 to in the last article on page 90 is a fine essay on the test- 

 ing and discrimination of textile fibres. Cold nitric acid 

 will destroy silk and leave cotton untouched. The action 

 of muriatic acid is the same. On a cotton fibre place a 

 drop of sulphuric acid and follow quickly with a drop of 

 the transparent solution of the tincture of iodine. The 

 fibre will form into disks or beads of a beautiful blue 

 color. Flax is affected in the same way but more con- 

 spicuously. Wool treated with commercial sulphuric 

 acid or strong diluted sulphuric acid will liberate the sur- 

 face scales at one end and they will . then appear under a 

 low power as hairs proceeding from the body of the fibre. 

 The fibres of dyed black silk are interesting under the 

 microscope when prepared as follows : A few threads of 

 the warp are placed on a glass slip in one or two drops of 

 concentrated nitric acid, the black color changes to green, 

 then to blue. A life-like motion is observed in all the 

 fibres, and they appear marked cross-wise like the rings 



