INOCULATING WIRES 55 



platinum wire is termed in Germany an ose, a term which, 

 on account of its brevity, may be conveniently adopted. 



In addition to the various utensils and chemicals which 

 are to be found in every well-appointed chemical laboratory, 

 such as scales, measures, gas-burners, saucepans, dishes, 

 plates, flasks, beakers, funnels, filter -paper, test-tubes, 

 pipettes, wood blocks, stands, knives, etc., and the general 

 chemical reagents, the following apparatus and materials 

 are required : scalpels, forceps, hypodermic syringes, gela- 

 tine, agar-agar, blood serum, cedar and clove oils, aniline, 

 xylol, peptone, stains such as fuchsine, gentian-aniline-violet, 

 methylene blue, methyl violet, eosine, hsematoxylene, picric 

 acid, carmine, paraffin and celloidine for imbedding, india- 

 rubber caps for covering culture-tubes ; and such special 

 apparatus as cultivation-flasks, tubes, chemicals, etc., which 

 are wanted from time to time, are necessary in a laboratory 

 required for bacteriological research. As has already been 

 frequently insisted upon, cleanliness in connection with 

 bacteriological work is of the greatest importance, and 

 therefore it follows that in the practical applications of 

 bacteriology, particularly as applied to medicine, there is 

 need of the utmost care in the cleaning of the hands, 

 apparatus, and instruments used, in order to render 

 aseptic procedure possible. The hands are best cleansed 

 by the use of soap and a brush, followed by rinsing in 1 in 

 1,000 solution of corrosive sublimate, and, lastly, a rinsing 

 in strong alcohol. 



The Preparation of Nutrient Media. 



It is necessary, in order to obtain a satisfactory knowledge 

 of the biological characters of the various micro-organisms, 

 to obtain pure cultures — that is, a culture containing one 

 species only. The bacteria are artificially cultivated in 



