Hey, I thought WE were the lowest phylum.(at least as far as most respect goes) :) Claire
________________________________ From: histonet-boun...@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 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet