284 KATHARINE FOOTE AND E. C. STROBELL. 



table. After this the freezer must be covered with a heavy quilted 

 covering and allowed to stand undisturbed for several hours. 

 As a rule we "set" the freezer at night, and the following 

 morning sectioning can begin at once. 



When sectioning it is necessary to wear heavy gloves covering 

 not only the hands, but the wrists and forearm. This obviates 

 the discomfort of cold hands and prevents a too rapid rise of 

 temperature in the freezer from the warmth radiating from the 

 hands. To prevent frost forming on the glass cover, we have 

 found it advisable to select cold days for sectioning, and to keep 

 the window open and the temperature in the room below 50 

 Fahrenheit. The clear plate glass cover admits all the light 

 needed for sectioning, but in setting the block a clearer view is 

 obtained by reflecting the image from a small magnifying mirror. 



As soon as a block is sectioned, the paraffine ribbon is lifted with 

 a camel's hair brush to one of the cold slides in the freezer, the slide 

 then carefully placed in one of the tin boxes and tightly covered. 

 This is taken out of the freezer through the hand hole H and can 

 be put in a cool place, fixing on the slide with the warm water 

 method being deferred until all the blocks are sectioned. 



After each block is cut, the next is immediately set for cutting, 

 and the freezer again covered for ten or fifteen minutes. For 

 during the process of sectioning the temperature in the operating 

 compartment rises a few degrees, and the freezer must be kept 

 covered until it has dropped again to 25 F. If while sectioning 

 the knife becomes moist, the hands must be taken out at once, 

 the hand-holes closed with the corks, and the freezer allowed to 

 stand until the proper conditions of temperature are restored. 

 Even the thinnest and longest ribbons do not snap or curl if the 

 temperature in the operating compartment is not allowed to rise 

 above the temperature of the knife. 



In this way we cut from twenty-five to fifty blocks a day, all 

 the material collected and imbedded during the summer requir- 



large corks, held in place with two narrow tapes (shown in left opening). One of 

 these tapes is passed through the ring of a screw in the center of the cork, and the 

 tapes securely tied. If this is neglected the cold air in the freezer will force out the 

 corks and cause a rapid rise of temperature in the operating compartment. Jl/, drain 

 tube fronii ce chamber. TV, narrow air chamber, which is filled with cotton or some 

 other non-conductor. 0, copper handles. P, copper braces in ice chamber. 



