Abstract
In attempting to find an agent that will stain fresh brain tissue, various dyes were tried out. Those which are ordinarily employed in routine staining were first experimented with, as methylene blue, eosin, cresylviolet, janus green, neutral red, gentian violet, alum hematoxylin, etc., as well as black writing ink. None of these gave the clearly defined outlines which were desired, and all gave almost no staining of nerve cell processes. Metal impregnations were next experimented with, in which the reagents used with fixed tissue were employed. Both gold and silver were tried out on fresh tissue following the prescribed technical staining formulae for fixed material, but without success. The nearest to desired results among these was obtained by putting a very small fragment of brain cortex in a weak solution of silver nitrate, followed by washing in photograph developer solution. Even this method proved inadequate. In looking for something further to use a bottle of argyrol was happened upon, and this was tried only as a matter of curiosity. The result was so much better than that obtained in any other way, that it seems of sufficient interest to present to others wishing to pursue similar means of study.
Microphotographs are presented showing high power appearances of the tissues examined, and to contrast with them similar pictures are included of brain tissue stained both by the Cajal and Golgi methods, after fixation and embedding. Our method has the advantage of no distortion of the protoplasmic structure. With the ultramicroscope, it has the same appearance as in fresh tissue.
The details of the method followed in using argyrol as a means of staining brain tissue are quite simple, and are as follows:
The top of the skull was removed from the head of a freshly decapitated chicken, or of an etherized rat, and the fresh brain tissue placed at once in 10% argyrol.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.