1010 SUMMARY OF OURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



having been boiled twieo or thrice in a tcst-hibc was poured out on a 

 plate, and when it had set, inoculated with the microbes to be examined. 

 With the development of the microbes certain colours may appear ; for 

 example, Strcjytococeits pnogcncs forms an orange-red streak in the midst 

 of the dark-grey gelatinous mass. As this colour was not in the original 

 mixture, the author regards it as a product of the vital activity of the 

 Bacteria. 



Improvement in Plant's Flasks for sterilizing water.* — Dr. H. 

 Plaut finds that his sterilizing bottles are subject to the inconvenience 

 of an escape of the water when the closure of the stopper and neck is 

 quite air-tight. This is obviated by using a cork stopper, and by 

 drawing out the glass tube as far as the level of the water. When 

 sterilization is comj^leted the glass tube is pushed back again. 



Fire-proof Cotton-wool Plug for Test-tubes-f — Dr. S. Bartosche- 

 witsch has invented a modification of the cotton-wool stopper which 

 consists in moistening it, before sterilization, with silicate of potash. 

 Any shape can then be given to tlie plug with the fingers. The mass 

 dries during sterilization, and in this way is produced a tire-proof casing 

 which is difficult to remove from the plug, and can be used again a 

 thousand times. This modification has the further advantage of pre- 

 venting the nutrient medium from drying, and is much more convenient 

 than the caoutchouc capsule in vogue. 



BoRDONi-UFFREDrzzi, Gr. — La Coltivazione del bacillo della lebbra. (The 

 culture of the leprosy bacillus.) Arch. Sci. McJ., XII. (1888) p. 53. 



Manger I, C. — Sulla preparazione della gelatine all' agar-agar. (On flie prrjiara- 

 tion of gelatin from agar-agar.) Gazz. dc'jii Ospitali, 1888. pp. 170-80. 



KorssELET, C. — On some methods of Collecting and Keeping Pond-life for the 

 Microscope. Trms. Middlesex N.d. Hist, and Sci. Soc., 1888, pp. 64-71. 



ScHiMMKLBrscH, C. — Einc Modification des Koch'schen Plattenverfahrens. (A 

 modification of Koch's plate process.) Fortschr. dcr Medizin, 1888, pp. 616-9. 



SoYKA, .J. — Bakteriologische Untersuchungs-methoden mit besonderer Beriick- 

 sichtigung quantitativer bakteriologischer TIntersuchnngen. (Bacteriological 

 investigation metliods, with special reference to quantitative bacteriological 

 investigations.) I^>'i"J- ^Icd- Wochenschr., 1888, pp. 429-30. 



(2) Preparing' Objects. 



Methods of Examining Blood-corpuscles. J — According to Prof. A. 

 Mosso there are three principal reagents suitable for the examination of 

 blood. The first of these is sodium chloride 0*75 per cent, solution, and 

 this is unsatisfactory, as it alters and decolorizes many corpuscles. 

 This negatives the advantages which this salt possesses in allowing the 

 examination of blood in the fresh condition. Against the use of serum 

 and iodized serum there are also weighty objections. 



The other two reagents are perchloride of mercury, and osmic acid. 

 These fix and solidify the blood, but the former suffers from the 

 inconvenience of coagulating the serum. Perchloride of mercury is 

 used chiefly according to the formulae of Pacini and Hayem. The 

 solution of the former is mercury perchloride 1 gr. ; sodium chloride 

 4 gr. ; distilled water 200 gr. 



Hayem modified Pacini's formula as follows : — Distilled water 



• Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., iv. (1888) pp. 152-3. f Ibid., p. 212. 

 X Arch. Ital, Biol., x. (1888) pp. 40-8. 



