Preparation of Large Histological Sections of Mummified Tissues

Abstract

I HAVE described elsewhere a method for the preparation of satisfactory histological sections of Egyptian mummy tissues and outlined some of the results obtained by current staining methods1. This method was designed for small portions of tissue only and comprised a double-embedding method by hand transference after rehydration of the desiccated tissues. By adapting this technique to the automatic processing method of Russell2, it has now proved possible to prepare large blocks of mummy tissue for the microtome, using a ‘Histokinette-Histokine’. The material is processed in perforated metal cassettes of the requisite size (supplied by Hendrey's, Ltd.). The process employed utilizes a 5-day cycle, and the quality of block produced is such that sections are readily obtained, without subsequent softening, on a standard Cambridge rocking microtome.