Microtomy is a tissue sample preparation method often called “sectioning” or "slicing.” Microtomy has been an essential component of microscopy for over a century. Since human curiosity peered through the microscope, methods and tools have been developed to slice anything of interest (animals, insects, plants, etc.) and place it on the stage for viewing. Cutting sections thin enough to view with the microscope was nearly impossible by hand; therefore, machines that offered precision cuts were invented and fine-tuned over the decades. These instruments are referred to as microtomes. Currently, a wide variety of microtomes are designed for specific materials or applications. Some of these include:
- Cryostat: Used to section unprocessed, frozen tissue samples, which aid in rapid diagnosis.
- Ultramicrotome: Used to section plastic-embedded tissue samples for electron microscopy in which the cellular organelles are highlighted.
- Vibrating microtome: Often used in research settings for delicate or difficult-to-cut samples, such as fresh brain tissue.
- Laser microtome: Used to cut rigid materials such as bones, teeth, or ceramics.
- Rotary microtome (manual, semi-automatic, automatic): Most frequently used in a histology laboratory for sectioning paraffin-processed tissue samples between 2 and 10 microns in thickness.
This course will focus on the microtomy of paraffin-processed tissue samples using a rotary microtome.
