83 
may have observed. If no public provision is made for the 
insane, state how they are provided for. 
Are idiots or lunatics put to death ? If so, why and how ? 
State any superstitions with regard to the cause of insanity 
or its treatment you can ascertain. 
J. B. T. 
No. XVI.—BACTERIOLOGY. 
It is not sufficient to know that such and such a micro¬ 
coccus or bacillus has been microscopically observed in 
the blood of a certain disease, because we are well aware 
that under conditions of general lowered vitality, it is 
common to find that certain saprophytic organisms have 
not only gained ingress to the circulation, but are able to live 
and grow there more or less abundantly. Such microscopical 
observations in the past have, to a very considerable extent, 
only served to burden the science of bacteriology with a store 
of facts more or less useless, unless coupled with cultivation 
and isolation experiments. In tropical countries it is no 
easy task to attempt cultivation experiments, the surround¬ 
ings in very many cases giving but little hope of success ; but 
while this is so, it is possible for practitioners in such places 
to collect materials and to send such to bacteriologists^ 
who will be most pleased to experiment with them, 
especially where full clinical notes of the particular cases are 
forthcoming. In all cases the following procedure may be 
adopted :—A drop of blood or lymph is to be placed upon a 
clean cover-glass, and another immediately superimposed. 
When the film has spread by capillarity, the one glass is to be 
slid off the other, and each immediately dried by passing it 
over the flame of a bunsen burner or spirit lamp. The cover- 
glasses should then be laid face to face and packed in a 
pill-box, a small piece of tissue paper being then crumpled 
up and placed above them so as to revent their being shaken 
about within the box. 
g 2 
