Celestine Blue B-Eosine-stained Intestine 



215 



Figs. 146, 147, and 148. Details from an excellent preparation produced by the 

 method described in this example. Fig. 147 shows the low-power view to indicate 

 the relative staining of the various parts. Fig. 146 shows the edge of the section. 

 Notice the undamaged mesentery at 1 and the clearly differentiated nuclei in the 

 circular muscle at 2. Fig. 148 shows the edge of one of the villi. Note the smooth 

 undamaged membrane at 3 and the erythrocytes at 4, in which the black nuclei are 

 sharply differentiated in spite of the heavy eosine pickup. 



It will be found that the specimen will swirl around in the jar in a most 

 satisfactory manner. This simple device saves all the trouble of rigging 

 up glass tubes and boring corks to make the cumbersome apparatus some- 

 times recommended for the purpose. 



The actual procedure of embedding has already been described in some 

 detail. The specimen is transferred after 24 hr in 70 per cent alcohol to 

 96 per cent alcohol. It is better to use a large volume of this alcohol and 

 to suspend the object in it than it is to use relatively small volumes fre- 

 quently changed. It is recommended, therefore, that a wide-mouthed 

 stoppered jar of about 500 ml capacity be obtained and a hook inserted 

 into the center of its stopper, from which the object can be suspended. 

 The majority of wide-mouthed, glass-stoppered jars have a hollowed 

 undersurface which may be filled with plaster of paris, and a glass hook, 

 which is easily bent from thin glass rod, may be inserted in the liquid 

 plaster. Naturally, this must be done some days beforehand, and the 

 plaster must be thoroughly dried out in an oven before the jar is used 

 for dehydrating. If the worker does not wish to go to this much trouble, 

 it is also easy to screw a small metal pothook into the undersurface of a 

 plastic screw cover for a jar of the same size. Alcohol is so hygroscopic, 

 however, that it is better to employ a glass-stoppered jar, the stopper 

 being greased with stopcock grease or petrolatum for a permanent setup. 

 An object as coarse as the one under discussion may be suspended in a 

 loop of thread or cotton directly from the hook, or, if this is not desirable 



