>Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 08:10:44 -0500
>From: Margaret Gondo <gondom@valentis.com>
>Subject: Freezing LARGE muscle specimens
>To: Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
>MIME-version: 1.0
>
>Hi All-
>
>In light of all the recent talk (and great tips) on muscle techniques, I
>thought I would post this question.  I routinely work with large animal
>muscles.  Currently, I am only freezing down small muscle samples.  I would
>love to be able to do a cross section of a whole muscle.  I'm thinking
>along the lines of a pig tibialis or gastroc muscle.  At it's widest part,
>a pig tibialis (from the animals that we use) is about 3cm by 2 cm.  How
>would one go about freezing down a section that thick while minimizing
>freeze artifact?
>Thanks in advance,
>Margaret
>

Margaret,
	Did a similar thing with a sheep muscle. With the large cross
sectional area I just kept the muscle height fairly thin. Although ice
crystal damage was evident in a number of blocks it didn't prevent good
fibre typing. Didn't have any photometric measuring to perform so was quite
happy with wee patches of ice damage.
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