Karen Dulany asked about nylon embedding bags.

Curiously enough, I've just encountered these bags for the first time in my 
locum tenens travels, in the Cayman Islands of all places. As Richard 
Rodriguez noted, they're offered by Shandon through Scientific Products. They 
come in three sizes. The smallest fits into an ordinary cassette. They are 
called Shandon Tissue Bags. I do not know what they cost, since Good 
Management has come to Cayman and all catalogs are consequently locked up in 
the lab manager's office.

Grossing without an assistant, I have not been too pleased with them. They 
are hard to hold open and get specimens into, and are real time-wasters for 
that reason. With an assistant to hold the bags open or bag the specimens, 
they might be more practical. The histotechnologist here has not found it 
necessary to staple the bags or write on them, as the directions suggest. He 
does tear the bags open. I haven't watched him embed.

Here are the directions and the catalog numbers from the package.

Shandon Tissue Bags (last ordered July 2000 here.)

Boxes of 1000 small size bags, 67740010. (They also offer standard size 
67740009, and large size 67740011). 

1. Only use once.
2. Use a pencil to label the bag with the specimen number.
3. Hold open neck of bag.
4. Insert tissue into bag.
5. Fold over top edge of bag and close with staple.
6. After processing remove staple.
7. Hold each side of the bag and pull the sides outward tearing the sides of 
the bag.
8. Remove tissue and discard bag.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN