ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 043 
Collecting and Preserving Urinary Sediment. — Dr. Bohland * first 
collects casts, cells, and other solid particles occurring in urine by 
sedimentation or by centrifuging. The deposit is washed with saline 
solution and then treated with Muller’s fluid renewed every three or 
four days for a fortnight, after which it is hardened with absolute 
alcohol. Epithelium, leucocytes, and casts are readily recognizable. The 
sediment may also be stained by placing a drop of the deposit in alcohol 
on a cover-glass and evaporating slowly so as to get a thin film and then 
colouring this with Ehrlich’s neutrophile mixture. Specimens prepared 
in this way last for a few weeks. 
Dr. T. Harris f pipettes off some of the deposit from the bottom of an 
ordinary conical urine glass (1-2 com.) and then places this in a sort of 
test-tube containing a preservative fluid composed of potassium acetate 
Fig. 80. 
60 grm., chloroform 10 ccm., H 2 0 1000 ccm. The tube is a piece of 
ordinary glass tubing about 5/8 in. diam., and drawn out to a point so 
that the lower opening is about 1/8 in. diam., the length being about 
13 in. and the capacity about 60 ccm. The upper end is closed by a 
rubber plug l£ in. long. 
The tube is to be filled with preservative fluid to within an inch of 
the top, and while doing this the lower aperture should be stopped with 
the finger. When the sediment has subsided, a sufficient quantity may 
be obtained by holding a slide underneath and just pressing on the 
rubber plug above. 
Dr. B. Bramwell f proceeds by mixing equal quantities of urine and 
aqueous solution of boracic acid. The deposit is pipetted off into a 
* Centralbl. f. wiss. Med., May 19, 1894, pp. 449-51. 
f Brit. Med. Journ., June 23, 1894, p. 1356 (1 fig.). 
X Op. cit., July 7, 1894, p. 8. 
