ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
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C4) Staining and Injecting 1 . 
Use of Thionin.* * * § — Dr. Kantorowicz recommends thionin, which is 
related to methylen-blue, for staining tissues affected by amyloid 
changes. While ordinary cells, nuclei, and connective tissue are 
stained blue or violet-blue, amyloid material stains a light blue or 
lilac. Preparations should be hardened in alcohol or sublimate, and 
imbedded in celloidin ; sections, after being in 80 per cent, alcohol 
and washed in water, should be placed for from three to five minutes in a 
saturated aqueous solution of thionin. The tint may be preserved by 
removing the section from water to a slide, drying with filter-paper, 
and dehydrating and cleaning by means of a mixture of anilin oil 
and xylol (2 parts to 1), or carbolic acid and xylol (1 to 3). Wash 
off the mixture with xylol and mount in dammar; in other words, 
avoid alcohol. 
Formic Acid Hgematoxylin.f — Dr. G. Pianese commends the fol- 
lowing hsematoxylin stain, which is made by mixing 6 ccm. of a saturated 
alcoholic solution of hsematoxylin with 50 ccm. of a saturated aqueous 
solution of alum. The solution is exposed to daylight for eight days, 
and then 20 ccm. of formic acid and 5 ccm. neutral glycerin are added 
and the mixture filtered. The solution is quite clear and of a reddish 
hue. It is said to give excellent results in the examination of nerves 
and their finest ramifications, though, of course, as might have been 
expected from its composition, it is valuable as a general stain. 
New Method of Staining Cilia of Bacteria.J — M. E. Van Ermengem 
recommends (1) washing of slides in a solution of 60 grm. bichromate 
of potash, 60 grm. of concentrated sulphuric acid, and 1000 grm. water ; 
(2) recent agar-cultures ; (3) a fixing-bath of 1 part of 2 per cent, solution 
of osmic acid and 2 parts of a 10 to 25 per cent, solution of tannin, to every 
100 ccm. of which 4 or 5 drops of acetic acid may be added. This mix- 
ture forms a black ink, a drop of which should be left on the slide for 
from 5 to 30 minutes according to the temperature. The preparations, 
after washing in water and in alcohol, should be placed in a nitrate of 
silver bath (0*5 to 0 # 25 per cent.). They should then be put into a 
bath of 5 grm. gallic acid, 3 grm. tannin, 10 grm. acetate of soda, and 
330 grm. of distilled water. After a few seconds, replace in silver 
bath, wash, and mount in balsam. 
Method for Staining Flagella.§ — Sig. Sclavo states that the flagella 
of certain micro-organisms are easily stained if cover-glass preparations 
be treated in the following way. (1) One minute in tannin solution 
(tannin 1*0 in 100 ccm. of 50 per cent, alcohol). (2) Wash in distilled 
water. (3) One minute in 50 per cent, phosphomolybdic acid. (4) 
Careful washing in distilled water. (5) 3-5 minutes in warmed staining 
* Centralbl. f. Allgem. Path., Feb. 1894 See Brit. Med. Journ., No. 1736 
(1894) p. 56. 
t Giornale Internaz. Sei. Med. Napoli, xiv. (1892) pp. 881-94. See Zeitschr. f. 
wiss. Mikr., x. (1893) p. 501. 
X Ann. Soc. Med. Gand, June 1893. See Bull. Soc. Belg. Micr., xx. (1894) 
pp. 29-32. 
§ Ministero del Interno : Laboratori Sci. d. Direz. di Sanita, Roma, 1893. See 
Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xv. (1894) pp. 507-8. 
