in and spinal cord, place in a large glass dish for
examination. Prepare cultivations from the cerebro-spinal fluid. The
removal of the brain and cord is a tedious process and during the
dissection it is difficult to avoid injury to these structures.

The operation is, however, carried out very expeditiously and neatly
with the aid of the surgical engine (_vide_ page 361). A small circular
saw is fitted to the hand piece. The bones of the skull are cut through
and the whole of the vault removed, exposing the entire vertex of the
brain. Similarly all the spinous processes can be removed in one string
by running the saw down first one side of the spinal column and then the
other. In this way ample space for the removal of the nervous tissues is
obtained with a minimum of labour.

33. Having completed the preparation of cultures remove small portions
of various organs at leisure and place each in separate bottles of
fixing fluid for future sectioning. Affix to each bottle a label bearing
all necessary details as to its contents.

34. If necessary, remove portions of the organs for preservation and
display as museum specimens (_vide_ page 404).

35. Gather up all the infected instruments, return them to the
steriliser, and disinfect by boiling for ten minutes.

[Illustration: FIG. 199.--Spear-headed platinum spatula (actual size.)]

36. Sprinkle dry sawdust into the exposed body cavities to absorb blood
and fluid. Cover the body with blotting or filter paper, moistened with
2 per cent. lysol solution. Place in a galvanised iron pail, provided
with a lid, ready for transport to the crematorium.

37. Cremate the cadaver together with the board upon which it is fixed.

38. Stain the cover-slip preparations by suitable methods and examine
microscopically.

39. Incubate the cultivations and examine carefully from day to day.

40. Make full notes of the condition of the various body cavities and of
the viscera immediately the autopsy is completed; and add the result of
the microscopical and cultural investigation when available.

As part of the card index system in use in the author's laboratory
already referred to (_vide_ page 335) there is a special yellow card for
P-M notes. On the face of the card are printed headings for various
data--some of which are sometimes unintentionally omitted--and on the
reverse is a schematic figure which can be utilised for indicating the
position of the chief lesions in the cadaver of