page_title: Histology
section_title: Light microscopy
hierarchical_section_title: Histology / Sample preparation / Staining / Light microscopy
caption_attribution_description: English: The muscle is stained red, whereas the cartilage is blue in colour. Some of the red blood cells are also seen on this picture as shades of pink/red.
context_page_description: Histology,
  also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures visible without a microscope. Although one may divide microscopic anatomy into organology, the study of organs, histology, the study of tissues, and cytology, the study of cells, modern usage places these topics under the field of histology. In medicine, histopathology is the branch of histology that includes the microscopic identification and study of diseased tissue. In the field of paleontology, the term paleohistology refers to the histology of fossil organisms.
context_section_description: Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E stain) is one of the most commonly used stains in histology to show the general structure of the tissue. Hematoxylin stains cell nuclei blue; eosin, an acidic dye, stains the cytoplasm and other tissues in different stains of pink.
  In contrast to H&E, which is used as a general stain, there are many techniques that more selectively stain cells, cellular components, and specific substances.  A commonly performed histochemical technique that targets a specific chemical is the Perls' Prussian blue reaction, used to demonstrate iron deposits in diseases like hemochromatosis. The Nissl method for Nissl substance and Golgi's method (and related silver stains) are useful in identifying neurons are other examples of more specific stains.
caption: Masson's trichrome staining on rat trachea.
exif: {"Image Make": "HTC", "Image Model": "HTC One", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image DateTime": "2015:10:24 10:38:35", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "2198", "GPS GPSLatitudeRef": "S", "GPS GPSLatitude": "[37, 48, 15297/500]", "GPS GPSLongitudeRef": "E", "GPS GPSLongitude": "[144, 57, 233129/5000]", "GPS GPSAltitudeRef": "0", "GPS GPSAltitude": "0", "GPS GPSTimeStamp": "[23, 38, 30]", "GPS GPSDate": "2015:10:23", "Image GPSInfo": "5442", "Image Padding": "[]", "EXIF ExposureTime": "3411/1000000", "EXIF FNumber": "2", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "125", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2015:10:24 10:38:35", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2015:10:24 10:38:35", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "137831/102144", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "8195363/1000000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "974687/200000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "2", "EXIF MeteringMode": "other", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "191/50", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "40", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "40", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2688", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1520", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "5414", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "0", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "28", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF Padding": "[]", "EXIF OffsetSchema": "4200"}