So, we've been following the discussions on laboratory mishaps, and thought
we'd send  a copy of some of the "finer" laws as printed about 9 years ago,
in the Lipshaw newsletter "Lab Leader". (Many thanks to Joan Hughes and
Christine Jacobs for their victorious efforts in compiling such a true to
life list!)

Murphy's Laws of Histotechnology:
1.  Stony prostate will only be cut on your best knife.
2.  Any compound ordered as a liquid will always be delivered as a solid.
3.  Unscheduled frozens always are brought to the lab at lunchtime.
4.  Easy-to-pour Xylene buckets aren't.
5.  Once a ribbon is finally obtained on hard to cut tissue, it will blow
across the      room.
6.  The chance of getting silver nitrate on your fingers during the day is
directly                proportional to the importance of your social
activities that evening.
7.  The probability that a section will wash off the slide is directly
proportional to the           amount of tissue remaining in the block.
8.  The need to filter a solution will always be discovered after the
slides have been           put into that solution.
9.  The pathologist paces most when a tech is working on a frozen section.
     (Whenever we're working on a frozen and the pathologist is pacing, we
point him           towards this list of Murphy's Laws and say read #9.
This usually buys us a few      moments peace!!)
10. The chance that you need to use acetone is directly proportional to how
recently       you've done your nails.
11. When a tray of slides is dropped, only the slides with unusual
pathology will       break.

We hope everyone gets a laugh out of this list!

The Memorial Hospital
Dept. of Pathology
Craig, CO