Abstract
Some histochemical observations on the cells frozen, dried, and embedded in methacrylate have been carried out.
In the hematoxylin-eosin staining the cells appeared somewhat larger than those fixed in formol and embedded in paraffin Chromatin nets and nucleoli appeared distinct in the nuclei but the cytoplasm entirely homogeneous excepting the granules and vacuoles which are mainly distinguishable under phase-contrast microscope, no spaces can be seen between the cells in any tissue and between Bowman's capsule and glomerulus or in the tubules of the kidney.
Alkaline phoshatase reaction by Gomori's method appears localizing strictly at the brusb border of the tubules of kidney, but a slight positive reaction of the cytoplasm and the nucleus can be seen by the reaction after removing methacrylate or on the section embedded in paraffin.
Glycogen in the liver parenchymal cells appear gross and granular but not diffuse on the cells embedded in methacrylate. Removing of the methacrylate with xylol gives no effect on the picture of glycogen granules, excepting the rapid staining in the latter.
The staining of Unna-Pappenheim before or after the treatment with ribonuclease gives almost the same picture as in the cases of conventional fixation with formol.
These observations show that the embedding in methacrylate of frozen-dried cells is an exellent one for the histochemical demonstration of some substances.
