JOURNAL OF THE [july 



NOTES ON STAINING SECTIONS MADE BY THE 



PARAFFIN-PROCESS ENCLOSED IN A FILM 



OF COLLODION. 



[A.bstractand translation from an article by Prof. H. Strasser, in Zeitschrift ffir wis- 

 senschaftliche Mikroscopie, vi., 150 (1889).] 



BY LUDWIG RIEDERER. 

 (/?ead April \Wi, 1S90.) 



Having reported, at the meeting of this Society, held Decem- 

 ber 6th, 1889 (see Journal, vi., 56), ist, on enclosing sections 

 in a film of collodion, and 2d, on placing them on provisory 

 supports, I desire now to give an abstract, 3d, on the method 

 of the subsequent staining of such sections, in case the object 

 has not been stained before. As this treatment permits the use 

 of different staining fluids on the same series of sections, its 

 value is obvious. 



The successive steps of this method of staining are as follows: — 



a. Fixing the paraffin-embedded sections in collodion. 



b. Hardening the collodion to a film by turpentine. 



c. Removing the film to aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic 

 solutions. 



d. Bringing it back to turpentine, 



e. Enclosing the sections on provisory supports for preserving, 

 or for mounting on slides. 



a. As a support for the collodion-film containing the sections 

 during the whole time that the treatment lasts, no more paraf- 

 fined or waxed paper is used, but gummed paper. 



Thin, well-sized paper, of smooth surface, is caused to receive 

 on one side a coat of a thick solution of gum-arabic in water, con- 

 taining 10 percent, (by volume) of glycerine. A mucilage of this 

 composition will dry completely, and the film produced will 

 have no cracks and will be flexible. On this support the sec- 

 tions are secured in collodion, as stated in the first paper, by 

 the use of a solution of collodion. No. i, containing two parts 

 of collodion and one part of castor-oil, and covered by solution, 

 Nq. 2, containing equal parts of collodion and castor-oil. It is 

 necessary, however, to give a supporting plane to the collodion- 

 film, on which it will remain stretched, as if on a drawing-board, 



