If this is important for your research, you need to do some critical
reading.  Here's a short list to start you off.

  1. Stowell, R.E. (1941). Effect on tissue volume of
     various methods of fixation, dehydration and embedding.
     {IStain Technology} {B16}: 67-83.

  2. Cammermeyer, J. (1960). The post mortem origin and
     mechanism of neuronal hyperchromatosis and nuclear
     pycnosis. {IExperimental Neurology} {B2}: 379-405.

  3. Jerome, C.A., Montagnes, D.J.S. & Taylor, F.J.R.
     (1993). The effect of the quantitative protargol stain
     and Lugol's and Bouin's fixatives on cell size: a more
     accurate estimate of ciliate species biomass. {IJournal
     of Eukaryotic Microbiology} {B40}: 254-259.

  4. Wynnchuk, M. (1993). Minimizing artifacts in tissue
     processing: Part 2. Theory of tissue processing.
     {IJournal of Histotechnology} {B16}: 71-73.

  5. Smith, A. (1962). Tissue shrinkage caused by attachment
     of paraffin sections to slides: its effects on
     staining. {IStain Technology} {B37}: 339-345.

  6. Gilbert, C.S. & Parmley, R.T. (1998). Morphology of
     human neutrophils: A comparison of cryofixation,
     routine gluteraldehyde fixation, and the effects of
     dimethyl sulfoxide. {IAnatomical Record} {B252}:
     254-263.

Items 1 and 4 relate to whole specimens. The others are concerned more
with shrinkage of cells (which matters more than uniform shrinkage of
everything). The other place to find intelligent discussion of shrinkage
is in two books by J.R. Baker: Principles of Biological Microtechnique
and Cytological Technique. These are classics and should be read by
everyone who does histological work. Your university library should
have them. For discussion related to nervous tissue (in which differential
shrinkage is regularly seen), you might like to look at Chapter 1 in
"Methods in Brain Research," ed. P.B. Bradley. London: Wiley, 1975.

                      John Kiernan,
                      London, Canada.
------------------------------------------------------------
At 03:56 PM 1/10/00 -0800, Peter Poon wrote:
>
> 1.) Does the time you leave a tissue in the solution series of alcohols
> affect the shrinkage at all?
>
> 2.) What is the least amount of shrinkage that anyone has gotten for mouse
> brain tissue?
>
>3.)Does the type of alcohol used have any affect on shrinkage?
>
>Thanks for be so patient, after all, I am only a lowly undergraduate
>student, taking part in a research project.
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