What is Microtome in Histology?
Microtome is one of the techniques of cutting the tissues in a very small sections. This is a technique which is used in histology and pathology studies. If a tissue is in a paraffin wax, it is cut into thin sections using this type of instrument.
A microtome uses steel, glass or a diamond blade as it depends upon the subject which is being sliced. Also, the use of steel blades is incorporated so that they are used to prepare sections of the animals or plant tissues for the light microscopy histology.
The glass knives which are used, they are in for slicing the object into very thin sections for electron microscopy. If you want to slice harder objects like bones and teeth, you use diamond type for slicing them.
Principle:
A microtome is a sectioning instrument which allows you to cut extremely thin slices of a material which is called as a section. Also, these products are used in microscopy. This is preparation of a sample or a subject for a particular observation under the transmitted light or radiation of electrons. This is a method for preparing of narrow and thin sections of materials which are hard such as bones, minerals and teeth.
Uses:
These items are used to set up a rotary microtome. Also, they are utilized to put the blocks of wax which is having tissue or organs. They are also used in adjusting various samples and subjects and rotating the rotor.
How does this instrument work?
This is a simple device and it works and operates with a proper staged rotary action. It acts such that the cutting of an object is a part of that rotary motion. If you take the example of a rotary microtome, the blade is in horizontal positon.