Re: tissue embedding for microtomy


"Harry Busk" <hbusk@xxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:op.tonfy3q7w6egsu@xxxxxxxxxx
Hello everyone. I'm interested in preparing my own slides of nervous
system tissue taken from sheep brains. I was wondering if anybody has any
experience with this. I'm working at home and not very experienced and I'm
not able to find any relatively simple procedures using readily available
materials to process tissue and then embed it in paraffin. I need
information suitable for a beginner. Once I get some experience then I can
try more sophisticated techniques.
Thanks, Harry
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Well,

I'm currently writing a series on slide prep and microtomy in Micscape
(http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html).
Part one of the series was about embedding samples in paraffin using
techniques, materials and chemicals to availlable (I suppose) to about
everyone in the entire world. Last month's part was on using a rotary
microtome, this month using a sliding microtome (A Reichert-Jung HN-40) will
be discussed. The last part will involve staining and finishing the slides.
I'm thinking on adding a fifth part devoted to microtomy of very large
samples (let's say about 10 by 15 cm).

Al these are pretty basic and -I suppose- "...information suitable for a
beginner...". Alltough the series discusses botanical microtechnique,
zoological slide prep is not that different regarding the protocols and
techniques to be used.

I can send you some notes on neurological techniques, but for that I need
to know what exactly it is, you want to achieve with the slides, in other
words: what structures do you want to demonstrate?

Have a nice day!

Yvan.


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