"Theory and Practice of Histotechnology" by Dezna Sheehan and Barbara
Hrapchak has a section on embedding with illustrations of right and wrong
ways to do things, plus I'm sure Peggy Wenk has adequate resource
information, since she runs the best hitology school around.  She also has a
web page with plenty of educational material.  Also check the NSH website.


Dave Reynolds, HT(ASCP)
Alaska Native Medical Center
Anchorage, Alaska  99508

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Jim Ball [SMTP:histo007@hotmail.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, April 18, 2000 11:51 AM
> To:	histonet@Pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject:	Embedding
> 
> Is there any literature on the market that shows how different tissues 
> should be orientated in a block for proper cutting. I have been a tech for
> 
> 25 years and have always taken great pride in having tissue orientated and
> 
> embedded properly. The hospital I am currently working for the techs seem
> to 
> only be interested in packing the molds with the as much tissue as
> possible, 
> not to mention the chaotic arrangement of the tissue. I had only
> experienced 
> this phenomenon before with pathologist trying to over fill cassettes. I 
> really believe some one should put out a chart showing a properly cast
> skin 
> sample, a gall bladder, a colon specimen, etc. I'am sure you have all seen
> 
> the charts they use at repair garage when they bring out one of you spark 
> plugs and compare it with a plug on a chart and tell you your motor needs 
> rebuilt.
>      I can stand there all day and argue with them, but I would first like
> 
> to have some visual as well as written evidence to back my arguments. I
> seem 
> to remember the AFIP manual having some drawings of how tissue should be 
> arranged, but if anyone has any other sources they wold like to share I 
> would be in your debt. I won,t go in to the practice of putting the blocks
> 
> on ice trays and leaving them in the freezer for any where from 15 to 30 
> minutes before retrieving for sectioning. Should any one wish to do a
> chart 
> I can furnish a ton of pictures on how not to embedd tissue.
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