MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STAINING TECHNIQUES 



Technique: 



1. Small pieces of tissue are fixed in io% formalin or in 95% 

 alcohol or in physiological saline for at least twenty-four hours, 

 and afterwards washed, dehydrated, cleared and embedded in 

 paraffin wax in the usual manner. 



2. Stain sections for three to four minutes with the carbol fuch- 

 sin (Solution A). 



3. Wash quickly in distilled water ; then de-stain in Solution B. 



4. Wash in distilled water; then dehydrate. 



5. Clear in xylol ; then mount. 



Results: 



Nissl bodies and nucleoli are stained dark red; remainder un- 

 stained. 



CARBOL FUCHSIN - BORREL BLUE 

 For Leprosy and for T.B. 



Solutions required: 



A. Carbol fuchsin (Ziehl Neelsen). 



B. Sulphuric acid 5%. 



C. Hydrochloric acid . . . . i ml. 

 Alcohol 70% . . . . • • 99 ml. 



D. Borrel's Blue . . . . • • 5 ml. 

 Distilled water . . . . . . 20 ml. 



Technique: 



1 . Material should be fixed in saturated aqueous solution of mer- 

 curic chloride and embedded in paraffin wax. 



2. Fix sections to slides and treat them for the removal of mer- 

 curic precipitate by the standard method [see page 28). 



3. Immerse in carbol fuchsin in a staining jar for thirty minutes 

 to an hour in the incubator at 37° C. 



4. Decolorize in Solution C. 



5. Decolorize in 70% alcohol (neutral) for two or three min- 

 utes until the sections appear faintly pink to the naked eye. 



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