SECTION TWO 



MALLORY HEIDENHAIN STAIN (Jane E. Cason) 

 A rapid one-step method for connective tissue 



Solution required: 



Phosphotungstic acid crystals A. R. i gm. 



Orange G. . . . . . . 2 gm. 



Aniline blue, water soluble . . i gm. 



Acid fuchsin . . . . • • 3 gm. 



Distilled water . . . . . . 200 ml. 



Technique: 



1. Fix pieces of tissue in Zenker-formol for preference, although 

 Bouin's fluid, formalin and alcohol have been used with success. 



2. Embed in paraffin wax and cut sections 6^ in thickness. 



3. Fix sections to slides and remove wax with xylol. 



4. Pass through descending grades of alcohol and if Zenker- 

 formol has been used as the fixative, treat with iodine and sodium 

 thiosulphate as usual to remove mercurial precipitate. 



5. Take down to tap water. 



6. Immerse for five minutes in the staining solution. 



7. Wash in running tap water for three to five minutes. 



8. Dehydrate rapidly through the usual graded alcohols. 



9. Clear in xylol and mount. 



Results: 



Appear to be the same as those listed by Mallory (1938), i.e. 

 collageneous fibrils, intense blue. Ground-substance of cartilage 

 and bone, mucus, amyloid, and certain other hyaline substances 

 are stained in varying shades of blue. Nuclei, fibroglia, myoglia 

 and neuroglia fibrils, nucleoli, axis cylinders and fibrin are stained 

 red. Erythrocytes and myelin, yellow. Elastic fibrils are stained 

 pale pink or yellow. 



Reference: Cason, J. E. (1950). 



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