Punched-Out Agar Petri Plates for Systematic Fixation and Embedding of Multiple Small Tissue Samples

A 5% agar solution is poured into Petri dishes, jelled, and a pattern of cylindrical holes punched out according to the number and size of tissue samples to be processed. These punched-out Petri plates withstand neutral formalin, water, benzene, and paraffin immersion at 60 C; thus providing an adaptable container for processing small tissue samples. Reduced handling of the tissues, minimized risk of loss, and easy identification of samples by means of the map-like arrangement of the holes are among the virtues of such plates. An optimal fixative-volume: tissue-weight ratio can be attained by using wells of varying diameter and depth according to the sample size.