Pathologists’ slide storage: ice age technology comes to the rescue

• Published in: Journal of clinical pathology Vol. 57; no. 12; p. 1342
• Main Authors: Awasthi, R, Sherwood, A, Blunden, S, Blakely, H, Smith, M E F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists 01-12-2004; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; Copyright 2004 Journal of Clinical Pathology
• Subjects: Correspondence; Household Articles; ice cube tray; Pathology, Clinical - instrumentation; Pathology, Clinical - organization & administration; Specimen Handling - instrumentation; storage
• ISSN: 0021-9746; 1472-4146
• DOI: 10.1136/jcp.2004.019745

[...]while the pathologist eagerly awaits the arrival of the requested levels, special stains, or sections from further blocks, yet more slides (from new cases pending) invariably accumulate. The preferred choice of storage (12 pathologists) was to retain the slides with the request form in a slide tray, whereas seven preferred to pile the slides on the desk or in a drawer. An ideal design for just such a slide tray has in fact been available for many years, typically incorporating 18 separate wells, and thereby accommodating the slides from 18 cases: the almost ubiquitous ice cube tray (fig 2).