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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
ject. 0^ Chemical News,” Sept, 27.) When animals are subjected to the 
action of substances which greatly alter the blood globules (as compounds of 
antimony, arsenic, aud phosphorus), crystals of haemoglobin appear in the 
deformed globules; the blood is anemic, the albumen in the globules dimi- 
nishes ; the fibrin increases, the proportion of gas diminishes ; glucose 
generally, but not always, increases ; fatty matters and chlosterine always 
increase ; and the variations in these correspond to the dose of the poison 
and the alteration in the globules. The composition of the urine varies 
also ; the entire quantity of nitrogen and urea diminishes ; the acidity 
diminishes and gives place to alkalinity ; uric acid always increases, when 
the globules are greatly changed. The urine contains abnormal principles, 
which are most frequently colouring matters of the bile, albumen, and some- 
times haemoglobin. The compounds whose actions we are considering 
promote formation and deposition of fat, but only when administered in 
certain doses. 
Microscopic Structure of the Brain. — The “Monthly Microscopical Jour- 
nal” for November states that Professor Gerlach has been recently examin- 
ing into this subject, and that he has published the results of his inquiries 
in the “ Centralblatt,” No. 19. It seems that, on applying the gold method 
of hardening microscopic specimens, he found : 1. That besides the well- 
known white medullated nerve-fibres running from the white into the grey 
substance, and which are arranged in fasciculi radiating towards the peri- 
phery, there are also numerous horizontally-running, medullated fibres, 
which communicate both with one another and with the radially-disposed 
fibres, forming a coarse plexus visible even with a power of sixty diameters. 
2. That in the meshes of this plexus are contained the ganglion cells, and 
a second far finer plexus of extremely delicate non -medullated fibres which 
can only be brought into view with the highest powers of the immersion 
system. This second plexus is formed of the finest proto- plasmatic pro- 
cesses of the nerve-cells, whilst the medullated fibres appear in part to take 
their origin in it, the individual fibres becoming surrounded by medulla. 3. 
Some of the protoplasmatic processes of the ganglion-cells develop directly 
into medullated fibres without branching, and thus such fibres originate 
partly from the cells themselves, and partly from a plexus of non-medullated 
fibres. 
Physiology as an Aid to Medical Science is the subject of the Academy of 
Sciences of Venice’s prize for next year’s (1874) best essay. The prize will 
be worth 3,000 francs. The essays may be written in the French language, 
and are open to foreigners. The following is the exact title of the prize : — 
“The advantages derived by the medical sciences, especially physiology and 
pathology, from modern discoveries in physics and chemistry ; with a retro- 
spective view of the systems which prevailed in medicine in past times.” 
Lady Investigators into Structure. — The “British Medical Journal” says 
that two Russian ladies. Misses Olga Stoff and Sophie Hasse, have employed 
themselves during the autumn recess in investigating the circulation in the 
spleen, by means of injection and microscopic examination. Their researches, 
which were made on the spleens of frogs, pigeons, rabbits, mice, rats, and 
various other animals, as well as of the human subject, were carried on in 
Dr. Frey’s laboratory. They have published an account of their examina- 
tion and its results in the “ Centralblatt ” for Nov. 9. 
