MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STAINING TECHNIQUES 



Technique: 



Tissues are fixed in Zenker-Formol and embedded in paraffin 

 wax. 



1. After removal of mercurial precipitate by treatment with 

 iodine in the usual manner {see page 28) sections are stained two 

 to three hours in Solution C; then washed rapidly with absolute 

 alcohol. 



2. Clear in xylol ; mount. 



Results: 



Basophile protoplasm, blue. Chromatin, violet blue. Nucleoli, 

 red. Connective tissue, faintly stained yellowish red. Muscle, 

 yellowish red. Erythrocytes, bright red. Acidophile granules of 

 leucocytes, bright red. Hyalin and granules of Russell, bright 

 red. Nuclei of the small lymphocytes are faintly stained violet. 



SAFFRON 



For connective tissue 



Note: Saffron is the dried stigmata of crocus sativus, and should 

 not be confused with safranin, which is an aniline dye. 



Solution required: 



A. Saffron . . . . . . . . 2 gm. 



Distilled water . . . . . . 100 ml. 



Boil gently for an hour ; allow to cool ; then filter ; 

 add I ml. of 40% formaldehyde and i ml. of 5% 

 tannic acid to the filtrate. 



Note: Saffron solution deteriorates after a few 

 weeks, and it is best to prepare the solution in small 

 quantities, as required. 



B. Delafield or Ehrlich haematoxylin. 



C. Erythrosin, 1% aqueous. 



Technique: 



1. Fix small pieces of tissue in Bouin, Zenker-formaldehyde or 

 in mercuric-formaldehyde. 



2. Wash; dehydrate; embed. 



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