Page 2 - ANIMAL MICROLOGY PRACTICAL EXERCISES IN ZOOLOGICAL MICRO-TECHNIQUE FOURTH REVISED EDITION BY MICHAEL F. GUYER

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
For the past ten years it has been a part of the writer's duties to
give instruction in microscopical technique, and it has seemed to him
that there is need for a series of practical exercises which will serve to
guide the beginner through the maze of present-day methods, with the
greatest economy of time, by drilling him in a few which are thorough-
ly fundamental and standard. The book is intended primarily for the
beginner and gives more attention to the details of procedure than to
discriminations between reagents or the review of special processes.
The student is told what to do with his material, step by step, and why
he does it; at what stages he is likely to encounter difficulties and how
to avoid them; if his preparation is defective, what the probable cause
is and the remedy. In short, the book attempts to familiarize the stu-
dent with the little "tricks" of technique which are commonly left out
of books on methods but which mean everything in securing good re-
sults.
A very brief, non-technical account of the principles of the micro-
scope is inserted (Appendix A) with the idea of giving the student just
enough of the theoretical side of microscopy to enable him to get satis-
factory results from his microscope. The microscope is so ably treated
in the excellent works of Gage (The Microscope) and Carpenter (The
Microscope and Its Revelations) that the writer feels himself absolved
from any further responsibility in this matter.
The aim of the entire book is to be practical: to omit everything
that is not essential; and, above all, to give definite statements about
things. Appended to each chapter is a series of memoranda which serve
to supply additional information that is more or less pertinent without
obscuring the main features of the method under consideration.
In Appendix B the formulae for a number of the most widely used
reagents are given with comments upon their uses and manipulation.
Following this (Appendix C) is a concise table of a large number of tis-
sues and organs with directions for properly preparing them for micro-
scopical study.
Inasmuch as every experienced worker has his own "best' method
for the preparation of almost any tissue, it is manifestly impossible to
give all "best methods" in such a table. The writer believes, however,