MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STAINING TECHNIQUES 



Results: 



Appear to be the same as those listed by Mallory (1938), i.e. 

 collageneous fibrils, intense blue. Ground-substance of cartilage 

 and bone, mucus, amyloid, and certain other hyaline substances 

 are stained in varying shades of blue. Nuclei, fibroglia, myoglia 

 and neuroglia fibrils, nucleoli, axis cylinders and fibrin are stained 

 red. Erythrocytes and myelin, yellow. Elastic fibrils are stained 

 pale pink or yellow. 



Abstract: Cason, Jane E., Stain Technology (1950), 25, No. 4, 225-6. 



MALLORY'S PHOSPHOTUNGSTIC ACID HAEMATOXYLIN 

 A general stain for vertebrate tissues 



Solutions required: 



Haematoxylin 10% in absolute 

 alcohol (ripened for three 

 months or longer) . . . . i ml. 



Phosphotungstic acid . . . . 2 gm. 



Distilled water . . . . . . 100 ml. 



Note: If ripened haematoxylin solution is not 

 available, the following artificially ripened stain 

 should be used: 



Haematoxylin (dry) o-i gm., phosphotungstic acid 

 2 gm., distilled water 100 ml., potassium perman- 

 ganate 1% aqueous 1-77 ml. 



Technique: 



1 . Fix in Zenker. Embed in paraffin wax. 



2. Bring sections down to distilled water. 



3. Treat with iodine to remove mercuric percipitate. 



4. Remove iodine with 0-5% aqueous sodium hyposulphite. 



5. Wash thoroughly in running water. 



6. Immerse for five to ten minutes in 0-25% potass, perman- 

 ganate ; then wash in tap water. 



7. Immerse for ten to twenty minutes in 5% oxalic acid; then 

 wash thoroughly with tap water. 



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