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Abstract
The fixation and staining of iron in tissues is discussed. Procedures for demonstrating iron in hemoglobin and nuclei are also briefly considered.
Lillie's formalin buffered at neutrality gave the optimal fixation for iron. The Prussian blue method was preferred to the Turnbull blue. Lison's procedure of the former, slightly modified, gave the most satisfactory results. When a procedure is required that employs non-iron-containing reagents, Macallum's or Mallory's hema-toxylin and Quincke's ammonium sulfide method are useful. The former, though not entirely specific, is preferable under controlled conditions when the quantities of iron are small. Hemoglobin iron in paraffin sections can be demonstrated by the usual procedures for iron after previous exposure of the section to peroxide, as recommended by Brown. The property of nuclei to adsorb iron from inorganic sources and from hemoglobin can readily be shown; caution is required in interpreting the iron detected in nuclei after Macallum's sulfuric acid hydrolysis.