This method was used at Johns Hopkins when I arrived in 1963.  I vaguely
recall a few crystals of thymol was added to balanced electrolyte solution.
As it turns out, thymol is minimally soluble in aqueous solutions.  We
eventually stopped using thymol.  Am not convinced it did what it was
intended to do, and never learned who in our lab instituted its use.

If your eosin solution is alcohol-based, it doesn't need thymol anyway.  It
might not need it even if it's aqueous-based.  How much time passes between
making the solution and using it all up?

Gary W. Gill

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Montgomery [mailto:ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk]
Sent: August 27, 1999 9:47 AM
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: Eosin.


Just Curious. Was making up a batch of eosin this morning and as I added
the crystal of thymol to prevent growth of bugs etc. (well, that was what I
was taught  when I was a boy so I've always done it that way) I wondered,
does anybody else do this or am I a lone voice in the wilderness.
Ian.

Dr. Ian Montgomery,
West Medical Building,
University of Glasgow,
Glasgow,
G12 8QQ,
Scotland.
Tel: 0141 339 8855 Extn. 6602.
Fax: 0141 330 4100.
e-mail: ian.montgomery@bio.gla.ac.uk