1923] Bercovitz: Endamoeha coli and Councilmania lafleuri 369 



TABLE 4 



Series II. Eeaction of Cysts of Endamoeba coli and Councilmania to 



Congo Red 



111 this series eleven cases, or 22 per cent, showed no coloring of 

 any of the cysts. In the first series fifteen cases, or 30 per cent, 

 showed no coloring. In the second series the contrast between the 

 staining in the two types is marked. The relative diflEerence between 

 percentage of cysts of each type stained is practically the same for 

 the two series, the second series showing an actual higher percentage 

 of all cysts which are stained. 



. In both series the diagnosis between E. coli and Councilmanin was 

 made after examination of slides stained with iron haematosylin. 



In the first series there were four cases where Councilmania and 

 E. coli were found in the same specimen. An attempt was made to 

 record the location of cysts which took the Congo red and of those 

 Avhich did not ; the slides in these cases were stained in haematoxylin, 

 in order later to find the marked cysts and thus to determine whether 

 thej- were E. coli or Councilmania. Inasmuch as in these four cases 

 both stained and unstained cj^sts were found, it would have been of 

 the greatest value if it could have been determined whether all of the 

 stained cysts were Councilmania and the unstained cysts E. coli, or 

 vice versa. However, another very curious phenomenon was observed 

 in these ca.ses, in that after the Congo red had come in contact with 

 the cyst wall the haematoxylin did not seem to have free access to 

 the cyst ; thus the cytoplasm and nuclei were not stained, and the 

 cysts could not be differentiated. 



Repeated trials of this were made, and in every case the result was 

 the same. A large number of the cysts were distorted, and some 

 seemed to be more or less collapsed. The haematoxylin seemed to 

 cling to the cyst wall with great tenacity, as the cysts were exceed- 

 ingly difficult to destain. An investigation of this phenomenon is 

 to be reported later. 



The results of the second series of fifty cases are in the main 

 similar to the results recorded in the first series. The incidence of 



