1876.] found in Mucus and other Albuminoid Fluids. 143 



smaller droplets or granules. These droplets, which are analogous to the 

 crystals deposited from a crj^stallizing solution, are sometimes found of 

 considerable size among the homogeneous mucus : in many cases the 

 whole coagulum is granular, the granules remaining closely packed toge- 

 ther; but they sometimes group themselves at certain points in the field, 

 leaving free spaces between the groups, and these gToups have each 

 something of the regularity of a rosette of crystals. The clusters of gra- 

 nules further assume more of a reticular arrangement or more of a Hnear, 

 according to circumstances. 



The plasma of the blood is found sometimes, in chromic-acid prepara- 

 tions, to assume the same coagulation-forms as those just described and 

 explained for mucus ; the necklace-like or nodulated fibres are obviously 

 a modification of the ordinary fibrinous fi.laments of blood-clot. 



The appearance described above of a reticulum of structureless or 

 jointed filaments with knob-like projections arising at short intervals 

 along their course and at their free extremities is precisely the same 

 appearance as Dr. E. Klein found T\ithin the vesicles and pustules, as 

 well as in the lymphatics, lymphatic spaces, and veins in the skin of 

 sheep infected with variola (Transactions of the Eoyal Society, vol. clxv. 

 pt. 1, p. 233 et seq.). The figures 11, 17, 18, and 19 of Dr. Klein's paper 

 represent appearances that cannot be distinguished in any point from 

 the particular coagulation-appearances that were found in the ducts of 

 the mamma above described. The figs. 10 and 16, showing the more 

 attenuated filaments with the knob-hke projections at wider intervals, 

 correspond to the coagulation-forms that were found chiefly in the colloid 

 tumours. There can also be no doubt that the granular masses repre- 

 sented in figs. 7, 8, 9, and 13 of Dr. Klein's paper are the same forms of 

 granular coagulation as those described in this note ; Dr. Klein has him- 

 self noted the occurrence of the granular substance side by side with and 

 passing gradually into the filamentous (p. 211). "While there is, on the 

 one hand, a remarkable resemblance as regards form between the various 

 appearances figured by Dr. Klein and the various coagulation-appearances 

 herein described, there is, on the other hand, an essential similarity in 

 the circumstances under which they occurred in the respective cases. 

 In the case of the sheep-pox preparations, the appearances were found 

 either in vesicles that contained a coagulable fluid, or in lymphatics and 

 interfascicular spaces that were distended by oedema, or in veins. The 

 portions of skin were immersed, while still warm, in the hardening fluid, 

 which was sometimes a weak solution of chromic acid and sometimes 

 methylated spirit (p. 219). Chromic-acid preparations alone seem to 

 have been used for studying that stage of the disease in which the vesicles 

 and pustules are completely formed (pp. 219, 230). 



Now, although Dr. Klein considered that he had before him in these 



