986 REPORT—1896. 
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23. 
The following Papers and Report were read :— 
1. The Minute Structure of the Cerebellum. 
By ALEXANDER Huu, M.D. 
The relations between the various cell-layers were pointed out, and the probable 
nath of the nervous impulses indicated, ‘The final ramifications, under the micro- 
scope, appeared to be in anatomical contact, thus getting over the difficulty of 
physiological action at a distance. Certain new cells were described, and an 
explanation given of certain granules, seen long ago by Dr. Hill in the molecular 
layer by the aid of Golgi's method. 
2 The Basis of the Bacteriological Theory, founded upon Observations 
upon the Fermentation of Milk. By Professor A. P, Fokker. 
_ The author described a previously unrecorded albuminous substance, occurring 
in the filtrate of sour milk, which takes part in the fermentation of the milk. He 
also described the quantity of the bacteria present in this filtrate, and discussed the 
question of their origin. 
3. Report on Oysters under Normal and Abnormal Environments. 
See Reports, p. 663. 
4. The Presence of Iron and of Copper in Green and in White Oysters. 
By Cuartes A. Konn, Ph.D., BSc. 
The object of the experiments undertaken is to show whether the green colour 
of the gills of certain types of French oysters (Huztres des Marennes) is due to iron, 
which Chatin and Muntz regard as the cause of the colouration. Electrolytic 
methods of analysis were employed, as these offer special advantages for the deter- 
mination of minute quantities of metals when derived from organic matter. The 
results show that white oysters contain quite as much iron, both in their gills and 
in the rest of their bodies, as green oysters ; and, further, that the quantity of iron 
present in the gills of green oysters is not proportionately sufficient to attribute 
the colouration to its presence. The total quantity of iron foundin French, Dutch, 
and American oysters varied from 1:8 to 4:0 milligrammes per six oysters. 
Copper is also a normal constituent of both green and of white oysters, but 
the amount present in the gills of the former is quite insufficient to account for 
their colour, Although iron may be a constituent of the green colouring matter, 
it is certainly not the cause of the colouration— a conclusion confirmed by Professor 
erdman’s experiments, in which he showed that no colouration was produced by 
crowing oysters in very dilute saline solutions of iron salts. 
5. Experiments on the Action of Glycerine upon the Growth of Bacteria. 
By S. Moncxton Copeman, J.A., M.D. (Cantab.), M.R.C.P.; and 
Frank R. Briaxan, M.D. (Lond.), D.P.H. 
(From the Bacteriological Laboratory of the Westminster Hospital 
Medical School.) 
The paper forms a preliminary account of a series of experiments which are 
being carried out as an extension of earlier work on the bacteriology of small-pox 
