6o8 LABORATORY HINTS 



The red methylene blue stains the chromatin. 



The blue methylene blue stains the nucleus. 



The soloids are dissolved in pure metliyl-alcohol and put up 



in phials. 

 The film should be fresh and imfixed. 

 Stain half to one minute. 

 Add distilled water in drops as 2 to i of stain and move about 



gentlv five to seven minutes. One can see under l^ in. when 



it is stained sufiliciently. 

 Flush ofif with distilled water. 



Dry and mount with Canada balsam and cover slip. 

 Unmounted blood films will keep a long time. 

 Other methods are : — 



(2) Borax meth^dene blue. 



Fix in alcohol and ether, ten minutes. 



Dry and stain with borax methylene blue, thirty seconds. 



Wash well, dry and mount. 



This will not differentiate the chromatin. 



It is not so good for the white cells. 



It is better than Leishman's for old films. 



(3) Haematoxylin and eosin. 



Fix in alcohol and ether, ten minutes or more, and dry. 

 Stain with haematoxylin, seven minutes. 

 Flush off with tap water for five minutes. 

 vStain with eosin, thirty seconds. 

 Wash, dry in air, mount. 



(4) Carbol-thionin. 



Fix in alcohol and ether, ten minutes. 



Dry and stain with dilute carbol thionin, ten minutes. 



Wash, dry and mount. 



Strong solutions are used for sections. This will keep. 



This is diluted with three parts of water for blood 

 films. 



This soon degenerates — twent}'-four hours. 



One cannot over-stain with it. 



The older the film the less time required for staining. 



(5) Eosin-azur. No fixing required. 

 This stain shows up the crescents well. 



Stain as with Leishman's; onlv use three times the distilled 



water from twelve to fifteen minutes. 

 Dissolve one soloid in 10 c.c. of methyl alcohol. 

 It is tw^ice the price of Leishmnn's stain. 

 This is good for the trvpanosome and halteridium. 



