Guess what?  We still have marble chips in our formalin/seawater
fixative.  I guess some old habits never die.  They (the marble chips)
were there when I started here twelve years ago and they are still there
to this day!

	Michelle


Michelle McCafferty
Marine Biological Laboratory
7 MBL Street
Woods Hole, MA 02543-1015


On Wed, 9 Dec 1998, Weems, Joyce wrote:

> Does anyone remember when we had marble chips in the formalin container
> to help maintain the neutral pH? ( Guess how long I've been at it!) J:>)
>
> >----------
> >From: 	Shirley Powell[SMTP:powell.s@gain.mercer.edu]
> >Sent: 	Wednesday, December 09, 1998 10:11 AM
> >To: 	Ms Louise Taylor
> >Cc: 	Histonet
> >Subject: 	Re: formalin
> >
> >Hi Louise,
> >I have been in histology for 35 years, I am 55 years old now and glad I
> >have lived this long.  We were told when I started in histology that the
> >life expectancy of histotechs was around 20 years and rightly so since at
> >that time our ventilation was nil.  I do remember when we started to
> >buffer formalin, not sure how long others were doing it at that time, in
> >1965.  But I imagine the problem with the variability in results is from
> >leaving specimens in formalin for the duration of storage.  Some were
> >keeping specimens in jars for years and years.  This was way before we
> >started putting them in plastic bags in the refrigerator to keep until
> >signed out, moved to the morgue for cold storage for another few weeks,
> >then incinerated.  The interesting cases were kept, you guessed it, in
> >formalin for ever (and you never know what ratio of formalin to tissue
> >was used back then or whether the formalin manufacturer was regulated as
> >to what went into the final product).  Hope this helps you to understand
> >what happened to your specimens then, you young whippersnapper.
> >
> >Shirley Powell
> >
> >Ms Louise Taylor wrote:
> >
> >> Hello histonetters,
> >>
> >> I am currently engaged on a seriously retrospective project involving
> >> performing PCR on  paraffin embedded archival tissues some of which
> >> are more than 30 years old. The variablity of the DNA viability and
> >> content is astounding. A factor that I can only ascribe to the
> >> various fixatives used way back then.
> >>
> >> Could some of the older histotechnologists give me some insight into
> >> what was common practice in say, the late 50's early 60's?
> >> (I will understand if some of you just say that you are reporting
> >> hearsay - after all - we don't all want to reveal our age?)
> >>
> >> When did buffered formalin come into vogue? As a mere whippersnapper
> >> of some 17 years experience - I can recall the unpleasantness of
> >> trying to make up buffered formalin in 25l quantities - an innovation
> >> and a great pain to a raw recruit.!
> >>
> >> I will appreciate any insight into what really happened
> >>
> >> many thanks
> >> Louise Taylor
> >> Johannesburg
> >> South Sfrica
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>