56 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
intersected with bands of a tough material. Spleen firm ; 6 oz. in 
weight. Other organs healthy, but anaemic. Stomach contained food 
and streaks of blood ; but the source of the hsematemesis could not 
be found. 
A section of the liver showed with the microscope liver structure 
cut off into island by bands of connective tissue, in which were elongated 
cells that readily were stained with carmine ; and besides these, dotted 
about, and easily stained, were very many round cells, like white 
blood- corpuscles, to which they seemed more related than to the long 
cells above mentioned. The liver-cells were often confused by this 
new growth, and were undergoing fatty degeneration in some places. 
Glisson's capsule was healthy, and had taken no part in the process. 
The kidneys showed proliferation of connective tissue, as did also the 
spleen ; and between the gastric tubes in the stomach was much of the 
small cell growth, such as was seen in the liver. 
The various organs had been prepared with chromate of ammo- 
nium and also with spirit, and had been stained in various ways ; but 
the same appearances always presented themselves. In between the 
muscular fibres of the heart, and in the brain, especially about the 
blood-vessels, the same small cell growth could be well seen. 
The President had never heard of a case where the changes were 
so universal. Similar conditions in the stomach and kidney had been 
before described, but never, as far as he was aware, in the heart ; it 
would be extremely interesting if scirrhosis of the liver could be made 
a general disease. He had also seen a case of scirrhosis of the liver 
at the age of four years. 
Dr. Pritchard suggested the presence of the small cells in the 
various organs pointed only to some irritation of the blood-vessels, 
and to no particular diseased condition. 
The President inquired if the cells were found equally around 
arteries and veins ; for if so, it was against simple inflammation 
being the cause. 
Mr. Needham, in reply, stated that in another case of scirrhosis 
that he had examined he had found all the changes here described. 
The proliferation of small cells was equally around arteries and 
veins. 
QuEKETT Microscopical Club. 
Ordinary Meeting, April 28, 1876.— Dr. Matthews, F.R.M.S., 
President, in the chair. 
The Secretary read an abstract of a paper, by Mr. W. K. Bridg- 
man, " On the Principles of Illumination." The practical bearing of 
the paper was to advocate the use of an illuminating pencil directed 
upon the object at the polarizing angle, by which it was considered 
that the greatest amount of light and the least amount of glare were 
secured. The object, if transparent, was to be viewed in the line of 
the reflected ray ; if opaque, in a direction at right angles to the plane 
of reflexion. The principle was applied to the stereoscope, and also 
to Lieberkiihn illumination with the microscope, and it was shown 
how, by the management of the mirror and Lieberkiihn, a pencil of 
