[Interpretation of the results of various histochemical reactions used in pathological anatomy].

Some approaches to correct interpretation of indices of histochemical reactions most often used in pathologo-anatomic investigations are analysed on the basis of the author's personal observations and literature data. It is shown that direct interpretation of results of histochemical reactions according to the conventional scheme (negative reaction--the absence of the substrate in question, low-positive reaction--a low content, and highly positive reaction--a high content) is not always justifiable. One and the same histochemical phenomenon may have different meanings and reflect various functional states of the structure under study. To be able to reveal mechanisms underlying the changes in histochemical indices in experimental material and to determine the significance of this fact in every specific case, one should use a specially selected set of various histochemical and other research methods allowing the possibility of checking and correcting the indices obtained with the help of each of them.