CH. VII} 



LABELING AND CATALOGING 



195 



may not be mounted at the time they are cut. It would be well in such cases to 

 give the date of fixing under 2, and under 5, 6 and 8, the dates at which the oper- 

 ations were performed if they differ from the original date and from one another. 

 In brief, the more that is known about a preparation the greater its value. 



General Formula for Cataloging Mi- 

 croscopical Preparations : 



1. The general name and source. 

 Thickness of cover glass and of section. 



2. The number of the preparation and 

 the date of obtaining and fixing the 

 specimen ; the name of the preparator. 



3. The special name of the prepara- 

 tion and the common and scientific 

 name of the object from which it is de- 

 rived. Purpose of the preparation. 



4. The age and condition of the ob- 

 ject from which the preparation is de- 

 rived. Condition of rest or activity ; 

 fasting or full fed at the time of death. 



5. The chemical treatment, the 

 method of fixing, hardening, dissociat- 

 ing, etc., and the time required. 



6. The mechanical treatment, im- 

 bedded, sectioned, dissected with nee- 

 dles, etc. Date at which done. 



7. The staining agent or agents and 

 the time required for staining. 



8. Dehydrating and clearing agent, 

 mounting medium, cement used for 

 sealing. 



9. The objectives and other accesso- 

 ries (micro-spectroscope, polarizer, etc.,) 

 for studying the preparation. 



A Catalog Card Written According to 

 this Formula : 



Muscular Fibers. Cat. 



C. 15. 

 Fibers 20 to 40 n thick. 



2. No. 475. (Drr. IX) Oct. i, 1891. S. 

 H. G. , Preparator. 



3. Tendinous and intra-muscular ter- 

 minations of striated muscular fibres 

 from the Sartorius of the cat (Felis do- 

 mestica). 



4 . Cat eight months old, healthy and 

 well nourished. Fasting and quiet for 

 12 hours. 



5. Muscle pinned on cork with vas- 

 elined pin and placed in 20 per cent, 

 nitric acid immediately after death by 

 chloroform. Left 36 hours in the acid ; 

 temperature 20 C. In alum water () 

 sat. aq. sol. ) i day. 



6. Fibers separated on the slide with 

 needles, Oct. 3. 



7. Stained 5 minutes with Delafield's 

 hematoxylin. 



8. Dehydrated with 95 % alcohol 5 

 minutes, cleared 5 minutes with carbol- 

 turpentine, mounted in xylene balsam ; 

 sealed with shellac. 



9. Use a 1 6 mm . for the general appear- 

 ance of the fibers, then a 2 or 3 mm. ob- 

 jective for the details of structure. Try 

 the micro-polariscope ($ 218). 



10. The nuclei or muscle corpuscles are 

 very large and numerous ; many of the 

 intra-muscular ends are branched. See 

 S. P. Gage, Proc. Amer. Micr. Sci., 1890, 

 p. 132 ; Ref. Hand-book Med., Sci., Vol. 

 V.,p. 59- 



10. Remarks, including references to 

 original papers, or to good figures and 

 descriptions in books. 



\ 310. General Remarks on Catalogs and Labels. It is especially desirable 

 that labels and catalogs shall be written with some imperishable ink. Some form 

 of water-proof carbon ink is the most available and satisfactory. The water-proof 

 India ink, or the engrossing carbon ink of Higgins, answers well. As purchased, 

 the last is too thick for ordinary writing and should be diluted with one-third its 

 volume of water and a few drops of strong ammonia added. 



