A SIMPLE AND RAPID METHOD FOR MOUNTING SERIAL SECTIONS FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

A considerable need has been felt for a simple and reliable method of mounting serial sections for electron microscopy. Techniques so far published have necessitated special optical and micromanipulative equipment. An extremely simple and inexpensive micromanipulator capable of very fine movements in three dimensions was first described by Goldacre (1954). It consisted of several glass microscope slides, lubricated with a viscous grease, sliding upon one another. The degree of control provided by this device has proved more than adequate for the orientation of serial sections on slit grids. The micromanipulator, which takes only a few hours to construct, is illustrated in Fig. 1. It consists of two standard glass microscope slides, glued together with epoxy glue at right angles to one another giving an inverted T. This is attached by its flat surface to a sheet of plate glass by means of a spot of grease. A third, smaller piece of