Microscopical Society of Victoria. 
35 
or two leading points. Work is still being carried on and needs 
to be more fully developed with reference to microphytes (or 
minute vegetable organisms) which have been found in the blood, 
and their relation to disease. This is fully dealt with in a contri¬ 
bution of some importance by Surgeon Lewis, of the Army 
Medical Department. The paper will be found, with illustrations, 
in the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science for July last, 
and a full notice of the same appears in the American Journal of 
Microscopy for last June, taken from “Nature” in a paper by 
Mr. Bastiam The question is, whether these organisms are the 
cause of the diseases with which they are associated. At present 
I am inclined to think they should be regarded rather as carriers 
of contagion than as originators of disease; and it appeal’s that 
their presence is not a constant occurrence in every case of 
fever or septic poisoning. There is one point which needs to be 
kept in mind, i.e. that investigations of this kind cannot 
be carried out in haste. Time must be taken in order 
fully to determine the absence of the particular organisms. 
Besides this, it is quite needful the observer should be well 
acquainted with their appearance; and that in some cases it may 
be needful to cultivate these organisms—that is, give them time 
to develope, so that the blood should be under observation during 
many hours. 
Amongst some matters of importance, I notice one which I 
must here comment upon, namely, whether the red corpuscle of 
the mammalian blood contains a nucleus or not. This is an old 
inquiry, and up to this period it has been held that no such body 
is present, and that all appearances in favour of it are due to the 
effect of chemical substances which have been brought to bear on 
the contents of the corpuscle. In this view I fully concur. 
Amongst other notices in journals, I observe that the old story 
of the angle of aperture of lenses comes up again to trouble some, 
but as this is a subject which a young society like ours cannot yet 
handle with profit, I turn to another, namely, modifications of 
oblique illumination of objects. This is an important subject, and 
I hold it to be an axiom in microscopy to be able continually 
to focus the light we are using, just as much as we absolutely need 
to focus every object which we examine under the microscope. 
i 
