

NOTICES OF MEETINGS. 39 


part of the Tzenia still represented the cysticercus, indeed a Tzenia was in reality 
a cysticercus plus the joints and minus the vesicle. Cobbold’s account of 
Leuckart’s experiments in tracing the development of the embryo were then 
epitomized. The meat measle had been known from time immemorial. The 
Mosaical injunction to abstain from eating swine’s flesh being probably founded 
on a knowledge of the mischievous effects of Cysticercus and Trichina on man, 
and was one of the many wonderful rules of hygiene contained in the Levitical 
law. ‘The pork measle had been alluded to in one of the Greek plays of Aristo- 
phanes, and was therefore known to the Greeks, who, with the Romans, called 
it the ‘‘ hailstone ” disorder, from the resemblance of the glistening measly cyst 
to a hailsone. It was long thought to be a distinct animal, and supposed to 
arise spontaneously, as there seemed to be no evidence of any process of genera- 
tion such as existed in other animals, although the calcareous was supposed to 
be ova, Pallas, in 1766, affirmed that cysticerci would be found to be immature 
tapeworms. At length, in 1842, the discovery of the successive alternations of 
development of the Cecari@ gave the long-sought-for clue, and in 1851, Kuchen- 
meister and Von Seibold, by a series of feeding experiments on animals, proved 
the fact that the cystic were converted into the cestoid entozoa or tapeworms, 
Cysticerci were administered with the almost invariable result that Tzenize were 
afterwards found, and the converse experiment of feeding the animals with the 
joints or ova of tapeworms resulted in the development of cfsticerci in their 
bodies. As a preventive it had been proposed to submit to the action of fire 
excreta containing the strobilze of tapeworms, but for obvious reasons this could 
not be carried out. 
A learned physician had remarked that man had not inaptly been defined as 
the cooking animal, for amongst the innumerable animals found in creation, man 
alone cooked his food. In perfect cooking lay the true remedy, because if the 
measle were destroyed the perfect animal or Tzenia would cease to exist, and it 
had been found that a temperature as low as 140° was sufficient to destroy the 
meat measle. 
MANCHESTER MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.—At the ordinary 
monthly meeting of the Manchester Microscopical Society, held in the Me- 
chanics’ Institution, Dec. 1st, 1881, Mr. John Boyd, president, in the chair, 
Mr. George E. Davis exhibited a series of metal caps, devised by Enock in 
order to protect glycerine mounts. These caps are made to fit Pumphrey’s 
vulcanite cells, and prevent the cover being pushed off. 
The President described a new method of making cells of wax for mount- 
ing opaque and transparent objects; and urged for their adoption that, as it 
takes no more trouble to make a thick or deep cell than a thin or shallow one, 
it is a very expeditious method—no waiting for varnish to dry before you can 
apply another coat. Again, the cell is not soft enough to crush by ordinary 
accident, and the tenacity of wax will enable it to withstand any ordinary blow 
without removing the cover, which is a great advantage over the ordinary 
cement cell. 
Mr. F. W. Lean read an interesting communication on the Larva of the 
Crane Fly. He illustrated his remarks by two coloured drawings which he had 
prepared for the purpose. 
Mr. J. L. W. Miles called attention to a simple substitute for the paraboloid 
or spot-lens, for obtaining dark-field illumination, by using the bull’s-eye con- 
denser under the stage of the microscope, the plane side being turned up, with 
a spot of black paper in the centre. Tube fittings under the stage of micro- 
scopes should be removed in order to get the condenser sufficiently close to the 
. Stage. Another useful contrivance in place of a revolving table was, in its 
simplest form, a piece of table oilcloth about fifteen inches square, the cloth 
side turned to polished tables and the oil side to painted tables. This would 
carry an instrument and lamp round ordinary tables very smoothly, 
