[Histonet] Flames at embedding centers

[William J. O'Connor III]

The open flames were great because they incinerated any residual tissue fragments, like from EMCs.  Hardy ever had cross contamination back in those days.  Lab fires, yes - I remember one in the late 1960's at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago. (Just heard about it, wasn't there at the time)   Alcohol lamp ignited xylene in the lab on the 8th floor.  Bad story.     I can see the reason to not have open flames anymore.  We used loop incinerators from the Bac-T lab for awhile, too, instead of open flames.  
Jackie O'



-----Original Message-----
From: Blazek, Linda <lblazek <@t> digestivespecialists.com>
To: Jay Lundgren <jaylundgren <@t> gmail.com>; Ludlow Patricia <ludlow <@t> hhsc.ca>
Cc: histonet <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
Sent: Tue, Nov 18, 2014 3:04 pm
Subject: RE: [Histonet] Flames at embedding centers


Grinning and remembering the "good old days".  What's more fun is the look of 
orror on the faces of the young ones when they hear it!
-----Original Message-----
rom: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] 
n Behalf Of Jay Lundgren
ent: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 2:42 PM
o: Ludlow Patricia
c: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
ubject: Re: [Histonet] Flames at embedding centers
    Ahh, the good old days of walking into the lab and lighting all the Bunsen 
urners first thing in the morning.  I didn't have any hair on my knuckles for 
ears.  Embedding with a Coke on the cold plate, and a smoke in the ashtray next 
o you, anyone?  Good times.
     Now we have to use forceps warmers and change forceps between specimens.  
f you get 3 or 4 pair of forceps, one will always be hot enough to use.  Also, 
here are embedding centers with heated forceps, which I love .
    Just remember to clean out the wells of the forceps warmers every day to 
revent cross contamination.  Cotton applicator swabs work great for this.  And 
lways keep a towel or gauze handy to wipe the tips of the forceps between 
pecimens.  Forceps warmers unfortunately don't incinerate any stray tissue like 
 Bunsen burner did.
                       Sincerely,
                               Jay A. Lundgren, M.S., HTL (ASCP)
>


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