Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining Adapted to Automatic Tissue Processing

A technique for hematoxylin-eosin staining in a Lipshaw tissue processor is described. Since the machine uses a 1 min minimum interval timer with a 20 min cycle and since the total time for the procedure is more than 20 min the timer must be permitted to run through two cycles and the staining program must comply with the inherent inflexibility of the timing mechanism. Such a program has been devised and is described. It provides for 6 min in Ehrlich's hematoxylin (followed by appropriate washes), 1 min in alcoholic eosin, and final passage through alcohols into xylene, after which the slides are ready for mounting. The quality and uniformity of the stained slides are as good as those obtained by hand staining.