MEDICAL AND BIOLOGICAL STAINING TECHNIQUES 



For reticulum 



Stock solution: 



Brilliant Cresyl Blue . . . ; i\ gm. 



Normal saline (0-85% NaCl) . . 100 ml. 



Technique: 



1 . Mix a small quantity of the stock solution of the stain with 

 140 times its volume of normal saline solution. 



2. Mix the blood in a white-cell counting pipette in the propor- 

 tion of I volume blood to 20 vols, of the diluted staining solution. 

 Shake the mixture for five minutes in the pipette, and place in a 

 blood counting cell. 



3. The fresh preparations are sealed with Vaseline to prevent 

 drying, and are counted immediately. At least 1,000 should be 

 counted for each test. 



Result: 



Reticulum only stained (blue). 



CARBOL CRYSTAL VIOLET 

 For fibrin network in blood smears 



Solution required: 

 Carbol Crystal Violet 



Technique: 



Note : To retain the normal arrangement of the filaments in the fibrin 

 network, the slides must be slowly and carefully placed in, and taken 

 out of the reagents. 



1. Fresh thick blood smears are made on scrupulously clean 

 slides and placed in a moist chamber, immediately, to prevent 

 drying. 



Note: The moist chamber may consist of a petri dish the lid 

 of which has two sheets of filter paper, moistened with warm 

 water to accelerate clotting. 



2. After the blood has coagulated and the fibrin framework has 

 formed (this takes about six to ten minutes) take the slides out of 



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