116 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
with a weak solution of Grenadier’s borax-carmine adds to the effect. 
The use of xylol is to be avoided, as the stains are thereby weakened. 
Staining^ Animal Mucus with Anilin Dyes.* — Various mucoid secre- 
tions, such as saliva, synovia, &c., have been examined by Dr. Sussdorf 
in order to show that basic anilin dyes have a specihc staining action, 
both on free mucus and while it is still in the secreting tissue. 
As may be supposed, there seems to have been no difficulty in stain- 
ing free mucus by the simple method of dropping the staining solution 
in the secretion, and then looking at it under the Microscope. 
For showing the existence of mucus within the cells of tissues and 
organs, the author used sublingual, submaxillary, and parotid glands of 
the horse, and also the intestinal and tracheal mucosa of the horse and 
cat. These were well hardened in alcohol, osmic acid, and chrom-osmic 
acid. The sections were stained with methyl-violet, methylen-blue, or 
fuchsin in one per cent, solution for a few minutes only. They were 
then w'ashed in alcohol or spirit acidulated with one per cent, hydrochloric 
acid until the dye was no longer given off. Some of the sections were 
also stained with borax-carmine. In the latter the nuclear and plasma- 
elements of the cells were stained by the carmine, while the mucinous 
parts were dyed by the anilin 2)igment. In the single-stained prepara- 
tions the mucinous parts alone were coloured. Some more experiments 
on salivary glands by the method of double-staining seemed to tbe 
author to support Haidenhain’s division of the salivary glands into 
serous and mucous. 
Use of Colouring Matters for the Histological and Physiological 
Examination of Living Infusoria.f — M. A. Certes says that anilin 
black dissolved according to circumstances in sea or fresh water possesses 
striking advantages for the study of living organisms. After filtration 
the solution, though loaded with j)igment, will keep quite a long time 
without forming a precipitate even on evaporation. The effect produced 
resembles that obtained by Nacbet’s dark-ground illumination method, 
with the special advantage that high powers and homogeneous-immersion 
objectives can be used. 
Anilin-black is in no way toxic to Infusoria, for they will live 
therein and multiply for w'eeks together. The contractile vesicle and 
other anatomical details as observed by this method are particularly 
interesting. 
Staining Actinomycosis .bovis.J — Dr. A. Florman states that he has 
made very successful preparations of Actinomyces by the following 
method which, though complicated, shows the club-shaped elements as 
well as the filaments. The sections used were 0*008 mm. thick. 
These were stained for 5 minutes in a solution of saturated alcoholic 
solution of methyl-violet 1 part, water 2 parts, aqueous (one per cent.) 
solution of carbonate of ammonia 2 parts. They were then washed for 
10 minutes in water, and after this placed for 3 minutes in the iodine 
solution, iodine 1 part, iodide of potassium 2 parts, w'ater 300 parts. 
After being carefully washed they w^ere decolorized for 20 minutes in 
* Deutsche Zeitsclir. f. Tliieriued. u. Ver^leicli. Pathol., xiv. (1889) pp. 345-59 
(3 figs.). t Bull. Soc. Zool. France, xiii. (1888) pp. 230-1. 
X Zeitschr. f, Wiss. Mikr., vi. (1889) pp. 190-1. 
