116 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
Petri, E. J., u. A. Maas sen — Ueber die Bereitung der Nahrbouillon fur 
bakteriologische Zwecke. (On the Preparation of Nutrient Bouillon for Bac- 
teriological Purposes.) Arb. a. d. ft. Gesundheits-A., VIII. (1892) pp. 311-4. 
Petri, E. J. — Eine Flasche zur Sterilisation und zur keimfreien Entnahme von 
Eliissigkeiten. (A Sterilization Flask, and means for obtaining Parts of Fluids 
free of Germs.) Arb. a. d. ft. Gesundheits-A ., VIII. (1892) pp. 316-7. 
(21 Preparing- Objects. 
Examination of Blood of Amphibia.* — Herr M. C. Dekhuyzen 
makes use of test-tubes with not too thin walls, holding 8 com., and 
having a diameter of 14 mm. ; they are placed in a simple wooden stand, 
and filled with the fixation fluid or with simple salt solution. In the 
latter cases the tubes are filled first with water and boiled, and the slides 
are treated in the same way ; the cover-glasses are cleaned with acetic 
acid, and water, and, after drying, with ether. The two fluids used 
were (a) (1) a 2 per cent, solution of osmic acid, (2) 6 per cent, acetic 
acid containing 24 per cent, of a watery solution of methylen-blue and 
a little (0*014 per cent.) acid fuchsin ; (b) the other fluid contained 
20 volumes of acetic acid mixed with 80 volumes of methylen-blue 
solution ; 6 volumes of this fluid mixed with 14 volumes of a 1/5 per 
cent, solution of acid fuchsin gave the required concentration. 
Before every fixation 2 ccm. of the last deep-blue mixture was well 
mixed with 6 ccm. of 2 per cent, osmic acid and placed in small tubes 
which were filled up to the top. 
It is important to be very careful in allowing the blood when it 
comes from the blood-vessels to come into the most intimate contact 
with the fixing mixture. The blood-cells sink to the bottom. After 
thirty minutes a drop of the fluid should be placed on a stick, and then 
some of the bottom be drawn up and added to it ; the cover-glass should 
be run round with xylol balsam. The preparations must be kept from 
the light. 
Examination of Land Nemertines.| — Dr. A. Dendy, after various 
trials, finds that the best way of killing Geonemerti s australiensis is first 
to hold the worm in vapour of chloroform for about half a minute, when 
the animal will contract to its normal resting condition and be rapidly 
stupefied. Then quickly plunge the worm into strong spirit. The 
creature is thus killed and hardened while under the influence of 
chloroform, and the proboscis is not ejected at all, nor does the body 
break up. If it is desired to kill specimens with the proboscis ejected 
they may be suddenly immersed in strong methylated spirit or in a cold 
saturated alcoholic solution of corrosive sublimate. The sections of the 
worm were stained with borax-carmine or Kleinenberg’s haematoxylin ; 
both methods should be employed, for the latter reagent brings out with 
wonderful distinctness the network of excretory tubules, which were not 
to be recognized in specimens treated with borax-carmine. 
Killing Nematodes for the Microtome.:): — Mr. C. W. Stiles recom- 
mends the following method : — Only one worm can be killed at a time ; 
place it on a large slide with a few drops of water, place a second slide 
* Verhandl. Anat. Gesell., 1892, pp. 90-3. 
f Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 1891 (1892) pp. 89 and 90. 
I Amer. Natural., xxvi. (1892) p. 972. 
