CHAPTER VI 



FREEHAND SECTIONS^ 



The real freehand sections of pre-microtome days, cut by holding 

 the object in one hand and the knife in the other, are becoming less 

 and less frequent in well-equipped laboratories. Since the subsequent 

 technique for such sections is the same as for those cut with a microtome 

 without imbedding, both kinds of sections can be treated together. 

 However, every student should learn to cut real freehand sections: the 

 laboratory is no place for one who is awkward with his hands; manual 

 dexterity must be acquired if there is to be any success in morpholog- 

 ical studies, which demand critical preparations. Not only freehand 

 sections, but other small thin objects which can be treated like sec- 

 tions, will be considered in this chapter. 



The beginner should start with the freehand section because the 

 processes are rapid and it is easy to find the causes of imperfections and 

 failures. 



For cutting sections of small twigs, roots, rhizomes, and similar ob- 

 jects, we use a safety razor blade, either held directly in the fingers or 

 in the type of clamp shown in Figure 3. For those who use the old- 

 fashioned razor, the grandfather type, shown in Figure 6, is the best. 



In cutting, brace the forearms against the sides, hold the object 

 firmly in the left hand, and cut with a long, oblique stroke from left to 

 right. The edge of the razor and the direction of the stroke should be 

 toward the body, not away from it as in whittling. If the material is 

 fresh, the object and the razor should be kept wet with water, the 

 razor being dipped in water for every stroke. For hard objects, hke 

 twigs of oak or maple, the grandfather razor will need sharpening after 

 cutting a dozen sections. It is a waste of time to put off sharpening 

 until the razor has become noticeably dull, for all sections except those 

 cut when the razor is perfectly sharp are sure to be inferior. With 

 softer material the razor may hold its edge for hundreds of sections. 

 Those sections which seem to be worth further treatment should be 



1 Before attempting the freehand sectioning, the beginner should read the 

 paragraphs on killing, fixing, washing, hardening, dehydrating, and clearing, 

 beginning on pp. IS and 112. 



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