Re: Paragon stain

<< Previous Message | Next Message >>
From:RSRICHMOND@aol.com
To:HistoNet@pathology.swmed.edu
Reply-To:
Content-Type:text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Young Nige Harness at The Histology Emporium, Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt 
Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry, Shropshire, England asks about the old 
Paragon stain.

>>Greetings from the borderlands of the British Isles.

What's the best recipe for "Paragon" - there seems to be many variations?<<

When I was one and forty
I saw a label say
to stain your bones like rubies
just mix it this-a-way:

1.  Flood a few drops of the stain solution onto a horizontal slide, or stain 
vertically in a Coplin jar or other suitable container.

2.  Wash with tap water.

3.  Coverslip with water for immediate examination if desired.

4.  Dehydrate, clear, and mount in resin.

RESULT:  Toluidine blue stains nuclei blue, and mucins various metachromatic 
purples. The basic fuchsin provides a contrasting deep red cytoplasmic stain. 
 Preparations do not keep indefinitely in ordinary mounting media, but may be 
restained.

REAGENTS AND SUPPLIES:  This product used to be made by Paragon C. & C. Co. 
and is often informally called Paragon stain.  The formula given here was 
taken from the 1981 Paragon bottle label.
     Dissolve 730 mg of toluidine blue O and 270 mg of basic fuchsin together 
in 100 mL of 30% alcohol (reagent alcohol or pure ethanol may be used).  Use 
a magnetic stirrer but do not use heat.  The solution has a long shelf life 
at room temperature. 

REFERENCES:
1.  Bottle label, Paragon Multiple Stain for Frozen Sections, Paragon C & C 
Co., Inc., 190 Willow Avenue, Bronx NY 10454;  1981.
2.  Bray WE, Clinical Laboratory Methods, 6th ed., CV Mosby, St. Louis MO.  
(Cited by reference 1, this reference book is long out of publication.)
3.  Procedure written by Robert S. Richmond, MD, FCAP, August 1989.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville, Tennessee USA
(I learned the A.E. Housman poem from my high school English teacher He was 
highly qualified to teach it.)



<< Previous Message | Next Message >>