1. Add glacial acetic acid to hair or epidermis; make cover-glass preparations, drying by heat.
2. Ether and alcohol equal parts.
3. Stain in borax 1 grm., methylene-blue 1 grm., water 100 cc., ½-5 minutes.
4. Wash in water; dry; balsam.
If the horny elements are too deeply stained, decolorize in 1 per cent acetic for 10 seconds, or in 1 per cent oxalic, citric, or arsenious acid for 1 minute.
III. THE STAINING OF ANIMAL PARASITES.
1. Amoeba Coli. Examine fresh material from fæces, abscesses or cultures, in physiologic saline solution, on a warm stage. Stain under the cover with methylene-blue and carmine. Make permanent mounts by removing excess of stain and running in 50 per cent glycerin. In fixed preparations the nuclei of the amoebæ do not stain with ordinary nuclear stains. Mallory’s method may be used:—
1. Fix in alcohol.
2. Stain sections in a saturated aqueous solution of thionin 3-5 minutes.
3. Differentiate in a 2 per cent aqueous solution of oxalic acid for ½-1 minute.