v'lii Preface 



have a proper appreciation of the possibilities and limitations of 

 present-day techniques, and to utilize the services of commercial or 

 institutional technicians to best advantage, every teacher and investi- 

 gator in the biological sciences should be familiar with at least the 

 elements of microtechnique. We can do no better than to quote 

 the late Dr. Charles }. Chamberlain, the dean of American microsco- 

 pists: "The student who has not had sufficient experience to make a 

 first-class preparation for microscopic study cannot safely interpret 

 slides made by others. He is in the same class with the one who claims 

 he sees it but can't draw it; while the real trouble is not in his hand, 

 but in his head." 



The term liislology is very commonly misused to imply histological 

 methc^ds or technique. Histology means the study of the structure 

 and development of tissues, and does not refer to the preparation 

 of slides. A good textbook of histology need not contain a word about 

 sectioning and staining of tissues. A person who takes an afternoon 

 off and learns to whittle some fair freehand sections is neither a 

 histologist nor a technician. 



Botanical microtechnic|ue may be defined in terms of its functions, 

 which fall into the following overlapping categories: 



1. the preparation of ])lant tissues for microscojiic stud\. 



2. the skillfid use of the microscope and related equipment for 

 the (ritical stutly and interjnetation of the material. 



3. the recording and illustrating of ihe results by means of the 

 graphic arts. 



In some schools microtc(hni(|ue is taught as |)art of the work 

 in some i)ranch ol iiioi phology, ,su( li as anaionn or c\tology. That 

 system has marked advantages. The student avIio has collected and 

 processed his own j)lani materials, and made his slides, can \isualize 

 the orientation ol the sections in tlic plain and inteiprci ihe lelation- 

 ship of parts to the whole j)lant. A disadvantage of the system is that 

 specialized courses in moi phologv are likth lo uiili/c a liiniud num- 

 ber of methods — loi instance, (he smear nuihod in ( \ logenetics. The 

 student inav accpiiie remarkable skill in making pi(.j)arations of 

 one type and lunc no expeiiencc with otiui use Inl intihods. He may 

 develojj great skill in making smear pic|)araii()ns ol |)olIen mother 

 cells, but one cannot snuar a kernel ol corn or a pine stem. He may 

 even ac(|uiic' disdain lor miiiiods which \cisatile and experienced 

 possible ihc presentation ol liie luiulauKiiials ol a wide range of 

 workers regard as indisjjinsabie lor (criain tasks. 



The niainu iiand' of a se])arait' (onrse in microtechni(|ue makes 



