156 Modern Microscopy 



potash for three weeks, then transfer to methylated spirit, 

 in which it may remain until required. Soak a piece in 

 water to remove the spirit, place a very small fragment on 

 a slide in a few drops of water, and with a couple of needles 

 tease or tear the tissue up so as to separate the fibres. 

 Drain away the excess of water, apply a drop or two of 

 Farrant's medium and a cover-glass. 



Non-striped Muscle. — Harden a piece of the intestine of a 

 rabbit in chromic acid and spirit for ten days. Wash in 

 water, strip off a thin layer of the muscular coats, and stain 

 it in hasmatoxylin. Wash in distilled water, and then soak 

 in ordinary tap- water until the colour becomes blue. Clean 

 a slide, pass a small fragment of the muscle on it in a few 

 drops of water, and with needles separate the fibres. Drain 

 off the excess of water, apply a few drops of Farrant's medium 

 and a cover-glass. 



Nerve Fibres. — Dissect out the sciatic nerve of a frog, and 

 stretch it on a small piece of wood as follows : Take a match, 

 make a slit in each end of it, into which put the ends of the 

 nerve ; now place it in a 1 per cent, solution of osmic acid 

 for an hour or two. Wash in water, tease up a small 

 fragment on a slide, and apply a few drops of Farrant's 

 medium and a cover-glass. 



When staining with gold chloride, solutions from J per 

 cent, to 5 per cent, in distilled water are employed. It is 

 used for staining nerves and nerve-endings ; it also brings 

 out the cells of the cornea, fibrous connective tissues, and 

 cartilage. 



The tissue must be taken from the animal immediately 

 after death, and be placed in the solution of gold for from 

 half an hour to an hour ; it is then removed to distilled 

 water for twelve hours, and afterwards exposed to the 

 action of diffuse sunlight in a saturated solution of tartaric 

 acid or formic acid until it assumes a purple colour. 



The future treatment will depend on the nature of the 

 specimen. 



If muscle has been stained for nerve-endings, place a 



