A single differential staining method for vaginal samears

Abstract

Since the observation of STOCKARD and PAPANIKOLAOU (1917) on the cyclic cytological changes of vaginal smears in guineapigs in accordance with their estrous cycle, many morphological studies have been made on vaginal smears of different mammals by many investigators. Recently, the examination of vaginal smears has come to be significant not only in the determination of each stage of the estrous cycle and in sexual hormone tests, but also in the clinical use. As for the staining of vaginal smears, there are many methods using such a single stain as methylene blue and Giemsa stain or such a compound stain as Masson's trichrome and Heidenhain's azan stain. Especially, SHORR (1940a, 1940b, 1941), PAPANIKOLAOU (1942), and CuYLER (1932) have reported a single differential staining method which is generally used for vaginal smears. The principle of this method of staining consits in the demonstration of changes in stainability of epithelial cells by using a staining solution composed of some acidic dyes. For instance, orange G, scarlet red, and fast green are used in Shorr's method, by which cornified cells are stained blilliant orange-red and non-cornified cells blue. By Papanikolaou's method, in which light green, Bismarck brown, and eosin Y are used, acidophilic cells are stained red to orange and basophilic cells green or greenish blue.