1 8 Neurolo^cal Technique 



warming the slide over a flame, care being taken to hold the slide 

 level and not to melt the paraffin. The safest way to do this is 

 to place the slide in the paraffin bath raised to a temperature 

 just below the melting point of the paraffin. 



When the sections are perfectly smooth, drain off the water 

 and put aside to dry in a dry place protected from dust for 4-24 

 hours. 



This drying process may be reduced to one hour or less by 

 subjecting the slide to a temperature just below the melting point 

 of the paraffin. The paraffin bath may be used. The object is 

 to remove the water completely, so as to establish thorough cohe- 

 sion of the section to the slide. 



7. When dry, dissolve off the paraffin by immersing the 

 slide in xylol for 10-20 minutes. 



In the xylol and succeeding fluids it is better to stand the 

 slide on end "face to the wall" in covered jars or wide-mouthed 

 bottles containing enough of the fluids to rise well above the 

 sections. Several slides may be carried through at the same 

 time. 



8. From the xylol transfer to jar containing absolute alcohol 

 for 5-10 minutes. 



The absolute alcohol removes the xylol, which is not readily 

 miscible with the lower grades of alcohol. 



9. Transfer from absolute to 95 per cent, alcohol 3-5 

 minutes. 



10. From 95 per cent, transfer to a jar containing the 

 alcoholic erythrosin solution (B) for 10-15 minutes. 



11. Washout surplus erythrosin in 50 per cent, alcohol for 

 3-5 minutes. 



The sections are now a light red. 



12. To stain, rinse the slide by dipping it two or three times 

 through distilled water and place in the toluidin blue solution (C) 

 for about 10 minutes. 



13. To decolorize and differentiate, drain off the surplus 

 stain, and dip the slide back and forth through the O.I per cent. 

 alum solution (D) for about 20 seconds. Then complete the 



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