Adhesives

After cutting, sections are floated out on a water bath. Bubbles accumulating under the ribbon may then be removed with a smooth teasing needle, care being taken not to tear the section. Bubbles may also be removed by pulling the ribbon very gently across the edge of a glass slide held below the section in the water bath. When the section chosen have flattened out, the numbered slide is immersed in the water bath and the section is fished out.

To promote adhesion of sections, adhesives may be spread thinly and evenly on a clean grease–free slide which then gently approximated to the end of the ribbon, and drawn upwards in a near vertical motion.

1. Mayer’s Egg Albumin

Egg white        50 cc

Glycerin          50 cc

Filter and add crystals of thymol to prevent the growth of molds

Mayer’s egg albumin is the most commonly used because it is very easy to make, convenient and is relatively inexpensive. A drop of Mayer’s egg albumin is usually smeared into the clean glass slide before sections are oriented. Sections which have been creased on cutting may then be stretched by gentle heating before attaching them into the slides. During staining, the excess of albumin may also take up the stain; hence, the slide should be wiped off to remove any excessive solution which may later on interfere with staining and interpretation of sections.

For celloidin sections, egg albumin is smeared on the slide, the section is transferred from 95% alcohol bath to the slide, pressed flat on the slide with a smooth filter paper coated with thin celloidin mixture, dried and stored in 70% alcohol until it is ready for staining.

2. Dried albumin

Dried albumin            5 grams

Sodium chloride         5 grams

Dissolve in 100 cc of distilled water and add crystals of thymol

3. Gelatin

Gelatin                        1 gram

Distilled water            100 ml

Glycerol                     15 ml

Phenol crystals           2 grams

4. Starch paste

Powdered starch        1 gram

Distilled water           30 ml (10 ml cold; 20 cc boiling)

N/1 Hydrochloric acid 2 drops. Add thymol crystals to prevent the formation of molds

5. Plasma

Plasma is readily available from outdated blood stored in blood banks, dispensed into sterile tubes of 0.5 ml each.