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Histological and Histochemical Methods 4th Edition

Article  in  Journal of Anatomy · August 2008

DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00957.x · Source: PubMed

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 J. Anat. (2008) 213, p356 doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00957.x

BOOK REVIEW
Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Histological and Histochemical Methods 4th Edition

Author: John Kiernan to read. The procedures given throughout this book are
Scion publishing, £40.00 very easy to follow and the author clearly states the impor-
tance of experimental controls and compares different
The purpose of this well-established book, as stated in the techniques and protocols. Each protocol is accompanied
preface, is ‘to teach the chemical, physical and biological by a ‘results’ section which explains the type and distribu-
principles of fixation, staining and histochemistry’. Hence tion of staining to be expected and some notes for easy
it aims to educate the bench histochemist to understand optimizations/alternatives. The only criticism that I would
the principles underlying the protocols s/he is using, inte- have of this book is a lack of micrographs showing what
grating methodology and theory. This both enables the the ‘results’ should look like, so an atlas of histology will
most appropriate protocols to be chosen and for educated probably be required to see examples of the typical/
optimizations to be made when experiments are proving expected staining. It is also a shame that this book does
difficult. not cover imaging and photography in a little more detail
The first chapter gives a brief introduction to the pre- or suggest further reading on these topics.
paration of different tissue types for histological proce- This book would serve as an excellent introduction for
dures. Fixation is an important starting point of most undergraduate and PhD students and will easily guide
experiments but is often poorly understood or taken for researchers and technicians in the comprehension of
granted, and the variety of processes available can be new techniques. The author emphasizes the importance of
confusing. This book addresses this by providing a clear acquiring laboratory skills under the guidance of more
explanation of the various alternatives that can be utilized. experienced colleagues, which of course is true, but this book
Chapter two covers a multitude of fixation techniques for provides a wonderful introduction to the ‘new researcher’
a diverse range of tissues in a comprehensive manner and and provides alternatives to the ‘more experienced col-
the next chapter continues with the fixation theme by league’. This book is a ‘must have’ for any laboratory using
dealing with treatments for hard tissues and naturally histological techniques. It is an excellent teaching resource
progresses to processing and mounting. Chapter five gives for anyone new to the field and gives ideas to the more
a general introduction to dyes, including how and why experienced histologist. This book is not for the book-
they work and a full classification, and then expands upon shelf – it should live on your laboratory bench.
appropriate dyes and methodologies to use in various Histological and Histochemical Methods was first pub-
circumstances. For many researchers, more than one dye is lished in 1999 but it has been extensively updated for this
required and chapter six focuses on how this can be achieved, edition by the addition of new procedures and the exten-
describing in some depth the use of nuclear staining, sion of some of the chapters to include some ‘older’ but
counterstaining and fluorescent staining. The next few useful techniques. In general, there is more discussion
chapters concentrate on specific compounds/cell/tissue types about the fixation, processing and staining of microorgan-
including blood, connective tissue, nucleic acids, organic isms and plants. Chapter nine now contains information
functional groups, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, inorganic on in situ hybridization and several methods for the detec-
ions and enzymes. Following these chapters, the author gives tion of apoptotic cells – both are a welcome addition.
details on metal reduction and precipitation procedures, Previous editions of this book contained ‘end of chapter
and an excellent chapter on immunohistochemistry. The book exercises’; these have been removed to make way for more
ends with a chapter termed ‘miscellaneous data’ which techniques, but the author offers the information as a PDF
includes detailed instructions on how to make various file that he will send by email on request.
buffers and solutions. The conventions and abbreviations
section is informative without being too extensive. Catrin S. Rutland
Throughout the book, the author gives helpful (and University of Nottingham
highly relevant) suggestions about peer-reviewed papers E-mail: [email protected]

© 2008 The Author

Journal compilation © 2008 Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

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