BLOOD AND GLANDS 407 



blood is placed on the slide and covered with a cover-glass when 

 the reticulum in the reticulocytes becomes coloured intensely. 

 (See also Cunningham, Arch. Int. Med., xxvi, 1920, p. 405.) 

 Good staining is obtained by using the platelet diluting fluid of 

 Nicholson (§ 884). Their enumeration is carried out in exactly 

 the same manner, counting about 200 cells. Films may be made 

 as before and stained by a Romanowsky stain. Reticulocytes are 

 now known to be young corpuscles which have recently lost their 

 nucleus and as such are evidence of blood regeneration. The 

 reticulum is not found in dry or fixed blood preparations and is 

 probably a condensation brought about by* the dye of some 

 substance present in the protoplasm.* 



Various intracellular bodies have been described in the case 

 of red blood cells. Golgi {Boll. Soc. Med. Chir. Pavia, xxi, 1919) 

 describes a body of uncertain significance which is of the nature 

 of a reticular apparatus. Cabot [Journ. Med. Res., ix, 1903, 

 p. 15) describes filaments which are stained reddish by 

 Romanowsky stains. Isaacs {Anal. Rec., xxix, 1925, p. 299) 

 describes a refractile granule in about 1 per cent, of cells, which 

 he regards as evidence of youth. It is easily seen in fresh blood, 

 fresh blood with a supravital stain, unstained dry films, or films 

 stained with any of the usual stains. Stippling in red blood cells 

 is best shown by methylen blue staining. Aub, Fairhall, 

 MiNOT, Reznihoff {Medicine, iv, 1925, p. 1) stain in the following 

 mixture : methylen blue, 1 grm. ; potassium carbonate, 1 grm. ; 

 distilled water, 100 c.c, diluted 1 in 15 parts before use. Staining 

 is carried out for fifteen minutes, after which the film is washed 

 until bluish-green. 



886. Weigert's Fibrin Stain {Fortschr. d. Med., v, 1887, No. 8, 

 p. 228). Sections (alcohol material) are stained in a saturated 

 solution of gentian or methyl violet in anilin water (§ 357). They 

 are brought on to a slide and mopped up with blotting paper, 

 and a little Lugol's solution is poured on to them. After this 

 has been allowed to act for a sufficient time they are mopped up 

 with blotting paper, and a drop of anilin is poured on to them. 

 The anilin soon becomes dark and is then changed for fresh once 

 or twice. The anilin is thoroughly removed by means of xylol, 

 and a drop of balsam and a cover are added. This stain may be 

 applied to celloidin sections without previous removal of the 

 celloidin.f 



* For other solutions see Cook, Meyer, Tureen, Journ. Lab. Clin, 

 Med., xvi, 1931, p. 1224. 



I See also the modifications of this method by Kromayre (§ 930) ; 

 Benecke (§ 965) ; Unna {Monatsch. prakt. Dermat., xx, 1895, p. 140); 

 Wolff {Zeit. wiss. Mik., xv, 1899, p. 310) ; and one of another sort by 

 KocKEL {Centralb. allg. Path., x. 1899) ; Shueninoff {Zlb. Path., xix, 

 1908, p. 6). Fibrin is also well stained by Mallory's triple stain (§ 961 ), 

 or Heidenhain's azan stain (§ 811). 



