18 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 
[Biolog, 
usual manner. They were obtained by the ordinary process. The slides, pre- 
viously to the mounting, were well washed in water, and subsequently in 
ether, as were also their glass covers. 
The crystals are in too small a quantity to definitely determine their nature, 
but I presume them to be haematoidin. They approach somewhat in form to 
a set of figures of this substance given by Funke, in his Atlas, but its cr} stal- 
tine characters are so various, that it is difficult to establish its presence from 
them alone. 
It is probable that if the members would go over carefully with the micro- 
scope, their specimens of blood-corpuscles, especially those of reptiles, they might 
also meet with instances such as the foregoing, and that the cause of the for- 
mation of blood-crystals at so advanced a period, after the mounting of the 
corpuscles and their apparently thorough drying, might be thereby discovered. 
The accompanying drawing was made by the Camera Lucida. The discs and 
crystals are magnified 300 diameters. 
Oct. Ath, The General Committee of the Department presented a partial report, 
relating to its organization, in compliance with the regulation therefor, and the 
preparation of a series of questions for investigation. The questions were re- 
ferred again to the Committee, with directions to add to their number, and 
report to a future meeting. 
Oct. ISth. Dr. Morris exhibited a young Emys , having a hernial protrusion, 
which appeared to be at the point of connection with the umbilical vesicle. 
The most interesting feature of the specimen was its early stage of develop- 
ment, illustrating the period of transition of cartilage into bone. 
Dr. Woodward mentioned, that since the time of his remarks to the Depart- 
ment in regard to pus-corpuscles, he had had no less than ten opportunities of 
examining pus under somewhat similar circumstances to those then alluded 
to ; the pus having found its way into urine, in which it remained for several 
hours. He had, in all these instances, found that on one side (seldom on both) 
an elevation of the cell-wall took-place, which he referred to endosmose. 
Dr. Leidy remarked, that these facts agreed with his own observations ; as 
he had never recognized the adherence of the granules of the pus-corpuscle to 
the cell-wall, and considered the diagnosis of the pus-corpuscle, based upon 
this adherence, to fail altogether. 
Drs. Woodward and Leidy further agreed in the view that no positive diag- 
nostic exists between exudation-corpuscles and pus-corpuscles ; that proposed, 
for example, in regard to the number of nuclei, being quite insufficient. Dr. 
Woodward favored the opinion of Carl Wedl, that the pus-corpuscle is a 
pathological deformation of the white corpuscle of the blood. 
A discussion also took place in regard to the existence of mucus-corpuscles in 
the mouth, &c. 
Dr. Leidy considered these to be normally pr-'sent in the fluids of the mouth, 
as he had constantly found them in his own saliva, during perfect health. 
Drs. Hammond, Mitchell and Morris adhered to the same conclusion. If the 
saliva be collected in a test tube, and the mucus be allowed to separate from 
the secretion of the true salivary glands, the mucus-corpuscles will be found 
in abundance. 
Dr. Atlee mentioned the statement of some observers, that they were 
found in the saliva of domestic animals, but not in that of the wild. 
Passing to the subject of cancer, Dr. Leidy alluded to some preparations 
which he had seen in the valuable collection of Kiernan, in which the structure 
of the tumor having been by a peculiar process removed from the vessels, the 
latter, in many instances, presented a msirked sjnral arrangement ; the cancers 
having been obtained from all parts of the body, and being of various magni- 
tudes. 
[Oct. 
