The use of Herr four-and-a-half clearing fluid for the rapid microscopic examination of thick sections of normal and neoplastic tissues.

We have demonstrated that Herr's 4 1/2 clearing fluid, developed for use with plant tissues, can be successfully used for the microscopic examination of thick sections of normal and neoplastic mammalian tissues. Rat Novikoff hepatoma, rat liver, and human colon and skin samples were fixed in Bouin's, stained with iron hematoxylin, treated with Herr's 4 1/2 clearing fluid and examined by phase contrast microscopy. Tissue architecture and cytological detail were easily observed by focusing through tissue sections as thick as 70 mu. The method permits rapid microscopic examination of mammalian tissues and enables the investigator to detect readily morphological abnormalities within a tissue.