[Histonet] Re: peggy wenk comments on HT/HTL practical

[Bob Richmond]

I really appreciate Peggy Wenk's analysis of the practical examination
and why it had to be dropped. I never really understood the issue
before.

I must confess I always enjoyed helping the prospective examinee
obtain exactly the right tissue.

"No, this endometrium is poorly preserved. We'll arrange with surgery
for a completely fresh specimen - I'll block it initially for the
diagnosis, then we'll fix it overnight and then block it exactly to
specifications. - Ick - this one's been curetted - we'll get another
one".

"I'll block the margins of this colon resection specimen, then we'll
pin a portion of tissue onto paraffin and fix it flat overnight."

"Next time I do an autopsy we'll get a lumbar spinal cord in the
intact dura. I'll open the dura dorsally and ventrally with iridectomy
scissors, then we'll hang it in neutral buffered formalin for two
days. Then I'll tie the dura and dependent nerves with a cotton
string. When you embed you'll remove the string, taking care that dura
and nerves remain in position. After that it's all yours. If it
doesn't work the first time, we've got three more levels in the jar."

OK, I'm a geek, I'm 72 years old, I got a right.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN