CHAPTER XXXIV.* 



AXIS-CYLINDER AND DENDRITE STAINS (GOLGI AND OTHERS). 



879. Introduction. There are three chief methods for the 

 anatomical ( 805) study of axis-cylinders and nerve-cell processes, 

 viz., the methylene. blue intra vitam method, the bichromate-and- 

 nitrate of silver, and the bichromate-and-sublimate methods of 

 GOLGI. The methylene blue method has already been described in 

 Chapter XVI. ( 337 346), and only a few points remain to be 

 dealt with here. These, together with some other methods suitable 

 for similar purposes, will be given at the end of this chapter, the 

 principal object of which is the description of the GOLGI methods. 



880. The Methods of GOLGI.- -There are two methods of Golgi, 

 viz., the Bichromate and Nitrate of Silver Method and the Corrosive 

 Sublimate Method. 



The bichromate and nitrate of silver method has been worked 

 out by GOLGI in three forms the slow process, the rapid process, 

 and the mixed process. 



The rapid process is the one mostly used at the present time, 

 and it may be regarded as the classical method of inquiry into the 

 general morphology and distribution of nerve cells and their pro- 

 cesses in hardened tissues. One must, however, remember that 

 extremely delicate results may be obtained by both the mixed 

 process and the corrosive sublimate method, and that use should 

 be made of them also, particularly for the study of the finer relations 

 of the nervous elements. 



General Characters of the Impregnation. The preparations have 

 not in the least the appearance of the usual stains, and are even very 

 different in aspect from those obtained by the ordinary methods of 

 impregnating with silver or gold. The impregnation is a partial one, 

 by which is meant that of all the elements, whether nervous or not, 

 that are present in a preparation, only some are coloured. This is 

 one of the great advantages of the method, for, if all the elements 

 present were coloured equally, one would hardly be able to follow 



* Revised and in great part re-written by Dr. C. Da Fano, King's 

 College, University of London. 



