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SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
paraffin is then set in cold water. The sections are then stuck on a 
slide and placed in a thermostat at 37° C. 
The author then stains with safranin and anilin-blue as follows : — 
After the preparations have been freed from paraffin by means of xylol 
they are washed with absolute alcohol, and then for half an hour with 
distilled water. They are then covered with a watery 0*2 per cent, 
solution of safranin and kept moist by being put inside some glass vessel. 
After 1-3 days the safranin solution is poured off and the preparations 
thoroughly washed with distilled water, whereupon they are further 
stained for 1-5 minutes with anilin-blue (a saturated aqueous solution 
diluted with an equal volume of distilled water). The deeper the safranin 
stain, the longer the anilin-blue solution is allowed to act, and vice 
versa. The preparation, having been washed, is then dehydrated, cleared 
up with oil of cloves, treated with xylol, and finally mounted in xylol- 
balsam. 
By this method the medullary sheath of nerves is stained orange- 
yellow; axis-cylinders, deep blue; ganglion-cells and their processes, 
blue ; neuroglia-cells and their connective tissue, bright blue ; walls of 
blood-vessels blue, while the elastic membrane and nuclei of the mus- 
cular fibres are red ; pia mater, blue ; white substance of cord, red ; 
grey substance, pale blue ; but if any morbid changes have occurred the 
degenerated parts stain deep-blue. 
Manipulating and staining old and over-hardened Brains.* — M. J. 
Honegger, who has been making researches on the brains of Mammalia, 
communicates the interesting fact that old over-hardened brains, always 
provided that decomposition has not occurred before or during hardening, 
can be rendered perfectly sectionable and stainable by immersing them 
for several days in water which has been made nearly boiling and is 
frequently renewed. 
For staining brains preserved in bichromate of potash an ammoniacal 
solution of carmine is very suitable, and the author makes his solution as 
follows : — The carmine is rubbed up to a thick pap with only just as 
much ammonia as is absolutely necessary, and having been spread all 
round the inside of the mortar, is allowed to thoroughly dry, and then 
finely powdered. After 24 hours’ exposure to the air the powder is 
dissolved in cold water, and thus a very satisfactory staining solution is 
obtained. 
Staining with acid-fuchsin and gold impregnation may also be 
adopted. In the latter case the sections are kept for 3/4 hour in 
1 /2 per cent, gold solution in the dark. They are then transferred to 
water slightly acidulated with acetic acid and exposed to full sunlight, 
and then kept for two days more in daylight. In this way a strong 
reduction is attained, and after-darkening quite avoided. 
Staining Bacillus of Glanders. f — Herr E. Noniewicz advises a com- 
bination of Loffler’s and Unna’s method for staining B. mallei. The pro- 
cedure, which is stated to give excellent results, is as follows : — The 
* Rec. Zool. Suisse, v. (1890) pp. 201-310 (5 pis.). See Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Mikr., 
viii. (1891) p. 99. 
t Deutsch. Zeitschr. f. Thiermed. u. Vergleich. Pathol., xvii. pp. 196-208. See 
Zeitschr. f. Wiss. Mikr., viii. (1891) pp. 109-10. 
