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 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list Histonet@lists.utsouthwestern.edu http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet