— 19 — 
Hotson on surgical sphagnum . 1 — Two articles by Hotson appeared re- 
cently on the use of sphagnum for surgical dressings. One article is published by 
the American Red Cross 2 and contains a good popular treatment of the distribu- 
tion and structure of sphagnum, sphagnum bogs, uses of sphagnum, utilization 
of the plant by Great Britain, a history of the development of the use of the plant 
in the United States, then follow descriptions of the work of collecting and sorting, 
making bandages, a discussion of the absorbency of sphagnum, the species best 
suited to the work, and finally sterilization. This paper is accompanied by a num- 
ber of photographs, drawings, and tables. The second article, 3 published by the 
Puget Sound Biological Station, takes up the subject in much the same manner 
but with much more detailed directions as to the various operations from the 
time the sphagnum is gathered up to its final use as a surgical dressing. This 
article also is fully illustrated and it is accommpanied by a bibliography of twelve 
titles accredited to eight authors. These two articles constitute the most com- 
plete treatment of the subject thus far published. O. E. J. 
Notes on lichens. — Fink 4 has recently reviewed two articles by Danilov 5 
which disprove Elfving’s contention (1905) that the fungal hyphae in lichens 
cut off colorless spherical cells which later become green and divide rapidly, thus 
constituting the “gonidia” or so-called algae of lichens. Danilov found that un- 
stained preparations might lead to such conclusions but that stained material 
showed the entrance of the fungal hyphae into the algal cells and that the pale 
alga-like cells were in reality algal cells killed by the parasitic fungal hyphae plain- 
ly visible within them. As to the relation of fungus to alga in the lichen, Danilov, 
in the words of Fink, “admits that there may be osmotic filtration of certain ma- 
terials from the alga to the lichen [fungus], and the like passage of others from the 
lichen [fungus] to the alga. However that may be, Danilov finds the final result 
to be the absorption of the algae by the lichen [fungus] hyphae, which enter the 
algal cells and form dense networks of slender, thin-walled or naked absorbing 
threads. Although the lichen thallus with its prepared peptones and certain 
other organic materials is probably a favorable substratum for the algae, yet the 
lichen [fungus] is parasitic on the algae, which are killed in large numbers as a 
1 In this connection see also notes on another article by Hotson, The Bryologist 21 : 90-91. 
Nov. 1918; and articles by Nichols, The Bryologist 21 : 53-56. July, 1918, and 21 : 81-83. Sept. 
1918. 
2 Hotson, J. W. Sphagnum as a Surgical Dressing. Published by the Northwest Division 
of the American Red Cross, pp. 1-3 1. figs. 18. tables 2. No date, probably 1919. 
3 Hotson, J. W. Sphagnum from Bog to Bandage. Publ. Puget Sound. Biol. Sta., Univ. 
Wash. 2 : 211-247. March 7, 1919. pis. 31-48. 
4 Fink, Bruce. Gonidia of lichens. [Contribution under head of “Notes for Students. ’] 
Bot. Gaz. 67 : 97 - Jan. 1919. 
5 Danilov, A. N. Ueber das gegenseitige Verhaeltnis zwischen den Gonidien und dem Pilz- 
komponten der Flechtensymbiose. Bull. Jard. Imp. Bot. St. Petersb. 10 : 33-70. 1910. 
Danilov, A. N. The relation between the gonidia and the hyphae in lichens. Jour. Bot. 
56 : 169-181. 1918. 
