81)4 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



The method of using the apparatus in obvious from the illustra- 

 tion, which shows the tray standing within a glass dish. Water or 

 fluids for staining, &c, are simply poured in until the tray is 

 almost covered, and when any one step is finished, it is merely 

 necessary to lift out the tray, the fluid draining away, while the 

 sections remain within the compartments. Of course, it is not 

 advisable to proceed to the stages of absolute alcohol, oil of cloves, 

 &c, by this method. The tray, when in use, should be covered with 

 a glass plate. 



Method for retaining Series of Sections in position.* — Ilerr H. 

 Giflbrd records a device which he calls the " book method " for 

 keeping series of sections attached in situ. This merely consists in 

 not quite cutting through the celloidin imbedding block, leaving a 

 margin of 6 to 7 mm., so that a number of sections resemble a book, 

 and may be turned over like the leaves. It will be found advantageous 

 to make " books " of ten to twenty leaves. These " parts " or 

 " numbers " may afterwards be bound together properly ticketed, 

 and kept in spirit until required for use. A book or a part may be 

 stained by merely suspending it by its back in the staining fluid. 

 Should the imbedding or the knife be faulty, it sometimes happens 

 that a section or leaf is cut out, i. e. without being attached to the 

 back. In this event, a note should be made of the position of the 

 section on the end of a strip of paper and the section fished out 

 on it. 



The great advantage of this method is its rapidity, and it does 

 not require any additional apparatus. It need scarcely be observed 

 that the microtome used should be an " immersion " one. 



Heidenhain's Staining Method.f — Prof. E. Heidenhain finds 

 that the following slight modification of his well-known staining 

 method yields the most beautiful results. 



Tissues hardened in alcohol, or better in a saturated solution of 

 picric acid first and then in alcohol, are left for 12-24 hours in an 

 aqueous solution of hematoxylin (1/3 per cent.), and then placed for 

 12-24 hours in 1/2 per cent, solution of simple yellow chromate of 

 potassium (instead of the red double chromate). The usual dehydra- 

 tion with alcohol, penetration with xylol, and imbedding in paraffin, 

 follow. 



"Simplification of Staining." J — Dr. W. Kiikenthal's results with 

 staining solutions in turpentine oil are as follows: — 



Ammotrypane binacina Rathke (killed in alcohol) were stained 

 with Grenadier's borax carmine (then absolute alcohol, toluol, 

 paraffin, collodion, oil of cloves, and removal of paraffin with turpen- 

 tine), and were finally placed in a vessel containing turpentine, to 

 which some methyl-green and some drops of a solution of picric acid 

 in absolute alcohol have been added. Eesult, nuclei red ; plasma- 



* Zeitsoiir. f. Wiss. Mikr., iii. (1886) pp. 45-7. 

 + Arch. f. Mikr. Anat., xxvii. (1886) pp. 383-4. 



X SB. Jenaisch. Gesell. f. Med. u. Naturwiss., 1885. Zuol. Anzeig., ix. (1886) 

 pp. 23-5. Cf. Zeitsehr. f. Wiss. Mikr.. iii. (1886) pp. 80-1. 



