Ian
several possibilities including
1.	One is to make an Indian ink mark or using tissue marking dyes on the
tissue at the level you want. This is probably the simplest method.
2.	you can place a piece of nerve or a small punch biopsy of another tissue
at the level you want in the block. The "marker" tissue can be colored
after fixation using Procion dyes, processed and kept in a thin covering of
paraffin wax ready to embed along with the specimen. Procion red 8MBS is a
powerful stain and easily seen in blocks.
3.	Keep small plugs of paraffin wax on hand and embed one of these along
with the block at the level you wish. These need to be colored and can use
most of the lipid soluble dyes for this.
4.	Gelatine has also be used for this purpose but may make cuting more
difficult.
Barry


At 09:20 PM 10/10/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi All,
>I have been asked if anyone knows of a technique which would show how far a
>wax block has been trimmed before the cutting stage.Like most people we
>utilise knowledge and expertise to determine if the block has been trimmed
>in far enough.However,we have been asked to try and quantify the procedure
>for trainee's so that they are unable to trim too far into a block as there
>would be a visual indicator present.
>Someone suggested if there was a coloured marker present in each block of a
>soft material/wax which would indicate levels within the block and not
>effect the cutting properties of the block , one could embed it along with
>the tissue.
>I am looking for suggestions and hope someone in histoland might have come
>across such a method.
>
>Ian Clarke
>Histopathology/Cytopathology
>Craigavon Area Hospital
>
>
>
>