Kelly D. Boyd, BS, HTL (ASCP) at Harris Histology Services in Greenville NC describes having a CLIA inspector ordering that all dry chemicals older than 10 years be discarded.
Allen Smith sums it up >>The problem is letting people with little or no knowledge of chemistry make chemical decisions.<< To which I would add: and a system in which inspectors from agencies accountable to no one (e.g. JCAHO) are allowed to require summary changes in laboratory procedures, with no appeal allowed. Thirty years ago most histology labs did almost all of their own preparations - today making a 1% solution of periodic acid is considered high-level manufacturing. Allen Smith goes on to observe that >>Indigo used by Bar Kochba's soldiers to dye the fringes of their prayer shawls in the second century has been found in caves in the Judean desert; it is still indigo.<< Was this indigo, or was it the indigo-like dyes obtained from shellfish that they used? This remains a lively subject of debate among Jewish scholars. Present day Jews do not dye the fringes (tzitzit) of their prayer shawls (tallit or tallis), thinking that the technique has been lost (a vociferous fringe group - you might say - is using shellfish-derived dyes and has a cool T-shirt - I want one). Bob Richmond Samurai Pathologist Knoxville TN _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet