[Histonet] Re: India Ink for inking surgical margin borders

[Bob Richmond]

Pam Marcum notes that >>The only warning I know of (and I have used India
Ink) is to be sure it is the "permanent" India Ink not the washable. If you
buy the non-permanent it will come off in processing.<<

India ink is a suspension of carbon black (basically soot) in a suitable
vehicle. It's quite "permanent" - there is no "washable" India ink. Ask at
the art supply store if you're unsure of what you're buying.

if you blot the specimen thoroughly dry before you ink it, you don't need
"fixatives" for the ink like acetic acid, acetone, or Bouin fixative. I
never use them. Ink won't stick to a cauterized surface (like a LEEP or a
lumpectomy specimen) but the pathologist can see those cauterized margins
under the microscope anyway.

I didn't say tattoos were yucky - I said the catalogs were yucky. But bear
with an old man who doesn't think they make girls any more like they did in
1955 (fortunately I've got one).

As more and more restrictions are put on the tools grossing pathologists,
PAs, and technologists can have, it becomes more important to know how to
obtain tools and supplies in the "real world". I can't replace my 25 year
old Satterlee amputation saw, so I cut fractured femoral heads with a seven
dollar hacksaw I bought at Home Depot.

Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Maryville TN