Maech 17, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



285 



to be made of gentian violet. Although the 

 work has only just begun, enough information 

 has already been obtained so that certain pub- 

 lic statements can safely be made. 



In the first place, it has been learned that 

 there is no justification for implicit faith in the 

 Griibler stains. They are apparently not near- 

 ly as pure as those that are now made in 

 America. It has for a long time been well 

 known that certain Griibler stains were cut 

 with inert material such as dextrin or salt, 

 and the recent chemical tests that we have made 

 show very plainly the gi'eater percentage of 

 color in nearly all the American samples ex- 

 amined. Possibly in some cases the gi'eater 

 concentration of the American stains may have 

 been the cause of the poor results obtained 

 with them, since the directions for preparing 

 staining solutions are all based upon the 

 Griibler stains. In the second place, it has 

 been found that the Griibler stains are not as 

 constant or uniform as it used to be supposed. 

 Some examples of Griibler's methylene blue 

 for example are entirely satisfactory for stain- 

 ing dried milk smears, while other samples, 

 the authenticity of which can not be ques- 

 tioned, have the property of dissolving casein 

 and washing the milk smears off of the sides. 

 Furthermore, certain Griibler samples of orange 

 G prove entirely satisfactory in the Fleming 

 triple stain while other samples are very un- 

 satisfactory, ranking with the poorest Ameri- 

 can samples in this respect. It has been 

 noticed with much interest that when an in- 

 vestigator has been using for histological pur- 

 poses a sample of some Griibler stain from 

 his own laboratory, and also various unknown 

 samples sent to him, in which another Griibler 

 sample was included, he has invariably reported 

 his own sample of the Griibler stain as much 

 superior to the unknown sample. From this 

 it has been concluded that the Griibler stains 

 vary as much as the American stains and that 

 a histologist naturally reports best results 

 with that particular sample with which he has 

 had experience. 



As to the qualities of American stains, it 

 can be said without hesitation that they are in 

 general verj^ good. This is particularly true 



of the bacteriological stains, to which for one 

 reason or another the manufacturers have given 

 most attention. Certain American methylene 

 blues, in particular, are decidedly superior to 

 any we were used to before the war. This 

 statement is made on the basis of very severe 

 bacteriological tests and of chemical analyses 

 as well. There seems to be no question but that 

 it will be possible to find American-made stains 

 of practically all kinds desired by biologists as 

 good or even better than those obtained from 

 abroad. 



The chief uncertainty in the situation at 

 present is whether the producers of the stains 

 will stay in the business. This matter may 

 be settled one way or the other by action of 

 Congress before this paper appears in print; 

 but whatever is done in the matter, it is de- 

 cidedly to be hoped that certain of the Ameri- 

 can stains which some of us biologists now in- 

 variably choose in preference to the Griibler 

 products, will continue to be available to us. 



H. J. Conn, Chairman, 

 Committee on Standardization of Biological 



Stains, National Research Council 

 Geneva, N. Y., 

 January 15, 1922 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 

 THE STANDARDIZATION OF INDUSTRIES 



Billions of dollars can be saved by Amer- 

 ican industry if a comprehensive program of 

 standardization is carried out, according to 

 E. C. Peck of Cleveland, 0., chairman of the 

 standardization committee of the American 

 Society of Mechanical Engineers. Mr. Peck 

 writes : 



The German work is of special interest to those 

 responsible for the management of American 

 industries, not only because of its importance, but 

 also because of tlie similarity in the historical 

 conditions surrounding the national standardiza- 

 tion movements in Germany and in America. 



Ml'. Peck says that mass production is no 

 longer primarily an American development, but 

 that the lesson of the war has brought home to 

 European countries realization of its signi- 

 ficance, so that to-day in these countries far 

 reaching programs of industrial standardiza- 



