Re: extremely off topic-Xrays

From: Kris Erickson <kris.erickson@utoronto.ca>
Subject: Re: extremely off topic-Xrays
Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 09:13:07 -0500

> Now, when you say "sliced"....
> You don't mean....
> Physically....

> Although--and not to be inhuman--a thin enough slice of tissue might
> make an interesting photogrammed image... all ethics aside, of course

For non-invasive imaging techniques, you slice logically in
computer... of course. BUT in pathology department, doctors may slice
brain physically to figure out where the lesion was, etc. There are
books collecting annotated photographs of those if you are curious
(easiest way to see them is to go to your local medical school
bookstore and go to neuroanatomy section). People who do research in
neuroscience field with experimental animals often slice the brain
physically (a few microns to maybe up to 100 microns thick) using a
device that looks kinda like what they use to slice cold cut meats
except they freeze the specimen while slicing. Brain slices are
mounted on glass slides. Those brains are tiny, so it is best to put
in an enlarger... if you stain selected cellular structures of of
specimen with a red dye (it's one of standard procedures), and use a
very high contrast paper, you can get nice geeky prints to hang in
your dining room!

Slides that were used for published studies are usually in permanent
archive of the laboratory and it's not easy to borrow from your
friends. But early in the experiments they need to do some practice
and preliminary studies... those you might be able to borrow if you
know someone in the field. Thin sectioned preparations make crisper
images but you need to boost contrast. You might want to project onto
a high contrast orthochromatic or color-blind material and then onto
paper...

There are also sheep brains sold as educational material. They are
alreay fixed and look like one color unless you look very closely, so
I don't think they make interesting photographs.

--
Ryuji Suzuki
"Reality has always had too many heads." (Bob Dylan, Cold Irons Bound, 1997)