1885.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



91 



addition of absolute alcohol precipi- 

 tates acid ammonium oxalate. If 

 the stain is too deep or irregular, it 

 may be cleared by an alcoholic solu- 

 tion of oxalic acid. This staining 

 fluid is to be recommended for all 

 purposes, without regard to previous 

 treatment of the preparation. 



b. Carmine i, borax 4, aq. dist. 56. 

 Mix I volume with 2 of absolute alco- 

 hol ; filter. For bones decalcified by 

 chromic acid. May be cleared by 

 solution of oxalic acid or borax in 

 spirit of wine. Gives lilac tint. 



12. Beale. How to work with the 



Microscope. 5th ed. London, 

 1880, and in the earlier edi- 

 tions. 



Carmine 10 grains, liq. ammon. 

 caust. \ drachm, glycerin 2 oz., aq. 

 dist. 2 oz., alcohol \ oz. Shake the 

 carmine and ammonia in a test tube, 

 boil a few minutes, cool for an hour, 

 add the water, glycerin and alcohol, 

 and filter. Keeps for months ; if 

 carmine precipitates, add a few drops 

 of ammonia. 



Beale recommends this form of 

 ammoniacal carmine as better than 

 any other. I have stained much with 

 with it, and do not perceive it has any 

 particular advantages over the simple 

 ammoniacal carmine, certainly not 

 for sections which require dilute so- 

 lutions, and for which the glycerin 

 and alcohol are of no use. For stain- 

 ing in mass, that is, of pieces to be 

 afterwards cut into sections, it is to 

 be recommended as more peneti'ating 

 than simple watery ammoniacal car- 

 mine. Perhaps the glycerin and the 

 alcohol give it this character. 



13. Schweigger-Seidel. Cyon, 



Ueber die Nerven des Peritone- 

 um. Ber.d. Sachs. Gesellsch. 

 d. Wiss. 1868, p. 125. 

 Cyon worked in the histological 

 laboratory at Leipzig, and used 

 Schweigger-vSeidel's acid carmine, 

 which he warmly recommends. 



Ordinary ammoniacal carmine is to 

 be saturated to excess with acetic acid, 

 and filtered, making a wine-red color. 

 The preparations may be cleared 



by acid glycerin — hydrochloric acid 

 and glycerin 1-200. The dye set- 

 tles in the nuclei, and the protoplasm 

 will be bleached. The preparations 

 should be thoroughly washed, and are 

 not so permanent as ammoniacal car- 

 mine. 



14. Rollet. Bemerkungen zur Kennt- 



niss der Labdriisen und der 



Magenschleimhaut. Unters. a. 



d. Inst. f. Physiol, u. Histol. 



Graz. Heft 2. 1871, p. 143. 

 Rollet describes several processes 

 to make carmine solutions more per- 

 manent, by adding definite quantities 

 of free acids, avoiding precipitation 

 of the color. 



15. Graucher. Technique mikros- 



kopique. Des usages de la so- 

 lution ammoniacale de carmin 

 en histologic. Arch, de Phy- 

 siol, iv, p. 770. 

 Graucher examines the behavior of 

 animal tissues toward ammoniacal 

 carmine. He finds the greater the 

 vitality of any part, the more readily 

 it stains. Elements already colored 

 by other dyes, as chromic acid, picric 

 acid, potassium bichromate, chloride 

 of gold, iodine, etc., take carmine 

 slightly or not at all. The same is 

 true of elements normally having spe- 

 cial coloring matter, as the blood-cor- 

 puscles, which absorb carmine readily 

 on the removal of the hjemoglobin. 

 (Much may be said against the above 

 statement) . 



16. Woodward. The best mode of car- 



mine staining tissues. Month- 

 ly Micr. Journ. viii, p. 37. 

 Carmine i , saturated solution borax 

 60. Add twice as much absolute 

 alcohol, filter and use the precipi- 

 tate of crystals of borax-carmine. 

 The crystals should be dissolved. 



17. Betz. Methode feine Schnitte a. 



d. Centralnerven-system an- 



zufertigen. Mittheil, d. arzl 



Ver. Wien. 1872, i, p. 9. 



Betz sets carmine solution in the 



sun till a dark, flocky precipitate falls, 



then filters and uses the filtrate. 



This is the so-called • precipitated 



