[Histonet] Practical Exam

[Ingles Claire]

Hey, I thought WE were the lowest phylum.(at least as far as most respect goes) :)
Claire

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From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu on behalf of Esther Peters
Sent: Fri 2/20/2009 5:08 PM
To: O'Donnell, Bill
Cc: Histonet
Subject: Re: [Histonet] Practical Exam



As one who first came into histology by working with the lowest phyla,
and has continued to teach students the procedures for whatever critter
they are working on, it seems to me that the basics and criteria for
producing a properly embedded, sectioned, and stained H&E tissue sample
are the same for all. Special stains might not always work exactly the
same on different organisms (especially those from a marine environment
vs. terrestrial) or demonstrate the same features (e.g., invertebrates
lack myelin, fish erythrocytes are nucleated), but understanding whether
someone can produce a good slide using any organism is the same. Indeed,
those who work on insects, crustaceans, bivalves, and sponges, would
welcome having human tissue to section! And those critters provide ample
training in troubleshooting in histology! (My mentor at the marine
research lab sacrificed a white rabbit for another student to work on
who wanted to get the HT certification.) Just as I am sure not every
piece of appendix looks entirely the same and processes exactly the
same, there needs to be some standards but also some acceptance of
diversity?

Esther Peters, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
George Mason University