Section-Cutting: A Practical Guide to the Preparation and Mounting of Sections for the Microscope, Special Prominence Being given to the Subject of Animal SectionsMarsh, Sylvester
Science
Section-Cutting: A Practical Guide to the Preparation and Mounting of Sections for the Microscope, Special Prominence Being given to the Subject of Animal Sections
Marsh, Sylvester
Microscopy; Microscopy -- Technique
31. _Hair._—Longitudinal sections are readily made by splitting the hair
with a sharp razor. It is more difficult to cut the hair transversely.
This, however, may easily be done in the following manner. The hairs
having previously been well soaked in æther to remove all fatty matters,
a sufficient number of them must be selected to form a bundle about the
thickness of a crow quill. This bundle, after being tied at each
extremity with a bit of thread, is to be immersed for several hours in
strong gum (§ 18,) to which a few drops of glycerine have been added. On
removal, the bundle must be suspended by means of a thread attached to
one end of it, in a warm place until sufficiently hard, when it is to be
imbedded and cut in paraffine (§ 12). Each section, as cut, is to be
floated off the knife into methylated spirit. From this it is with the
aid of the spoon (§ 14) to be transferred to a slide, the spirit tilted
off, a drop of absolute alcohol added, when, after a minute or two, this
also is to be drained off, the section treated with clove oil, and the
mounting completed as described in § 23.
32. _Horn_ varies very much in consistence, in some instances having a
cartilaginous character, whilst in others it is almost bony. In the
latter case, sections will have to be ground down in the manner
explained when speaking of bone (§ 26). Where the texture is less dense,
recourse may be had to prolonged steeping in hot or boiling water; in
some cases it will be necessary to continue the immersion for several
hours. When sufficiently soft the piece of horn may, by means of bits of
soft wood, be firmly wedged into the tube of the microtome, and sections
cut with a razor, or what is better, with a broad and very sharp chisel.
The sections are to be put between glass slips, held together by
American clips (or pegs), and put away for two or three days in order to
become thoroughly dry. After well soaking in good turpentine or benzole,
they must be transferred to slides, the superfluous turpentine drained
off, and chloroform-balsam added, etc. (§ 23). Sections of horn should,
of course, be cut in different directions, but for examination with the
polariscope those cut transversely yield by far the most magnificent
results. _Hoofs_, _whalebone_, and allied structures should also be
treated by the above method.
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