Development of the quick-freeze, deep-etch, rotary-replication technique of sample preparation for 3-D electron microscopy.

The images presented here, though covering a size-range from whole cells to individual molecules, have all be generated by the exact same technique, as was outlined in the introduction. All depend upon the high quality of the initial freezing of the sample, which is accomplished by the abrupt application of an ultra-pure copper block cooled with liquid helium. Copies of the freezing machine we have developed to accomplish this are currently manufactured and supplied to other laboratories at cost, by former university machinists who now operate under the name of Med-Vac, Inc., St. Louis, MO. Any laboratory wishing to generate images of the sort shown here are welcome to obtain one of these machines and to call us for further assistance and instruction.