STAINING, PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL 



Technique: 



1 . Formalin-fixed material (sections or smears) are stained from 

 five to ten minutes with Ehrlich haematoxylin. 



2. Pour off excess stain ; immerse the preparation in tap water 

 until it appears blue to the naked eye ; then wash thoroughly with 

 distilled water and drain well. 



3. Stain for eighteen to twenty-four hours in Solution B (as 

 above) in a staining jar. If a staining jar is not available, place the 

 slide, resting face downwards, on two pieces of thin glass rod, so 

 that any precipitate formed is not deposited on the preparation. 



4. Differentiate in 95% alcohol until dense blue clouds cease 

 to come away from the preparation, and the red corpuscles and 

 collagen are pink. 



5. Immerse the preparation in three changes of absolute alcohol, 

 followed by two changes of xylol ; then mount. 



Results: 



Cartilage stained purple; basophil leucocytes and mast cell 

 granules, purple to violet; nuclei, blue; erythrocytes, pink; 

 cytoplasm, pink to blue; eosinophil granules and secretion gran- 

 ules, pink. 



Reference: Maximow, A. J. (1924). 



ERIE GARNET - AZUR A 



A rapid polychromatic stain for fresh tissue diagnosis in 



the operating theatre 



Solutions required: 



A. Azur A, 1% aqueous 



B. Erie garnet B, 0-5% aqueous 



C. Solution A (freshly filtered) . . 4 volumes 

 Solution B (freshly filtered) . . i volume 



Add solution B rapidly to solution A and immedi- 

 ately filter the mixture. 



D. Glucose, 40% aqueous 



194 



