By the end of the year, we hope that you will have acquired a reasonable working knowledge of:

1) how cells associate to perform the functions for which they are specialized, and

2) how organized groups of cells (tissues) are arranged to form the organ systems of the body.

While the emphasis in histology is on the structure of cells, tissues and organs, structure has very little meaning without understanding the function, much of which is also presented in the other components of the curriculum. There is an emphasis to teach comparable subjects at about the same time, and we ask that you try and correlate structure and function. Most diseases cause structural abnormalities that result in the problems with which you, as a physician, must contend. One reason for studying histology (the normal structure) is so that you can better understand a pathological (abnormal) change and the consequences of that change.

You will be spending most of your time studying two dimensional sections of three dimensional structures, and will encounter a number of atypical perspectives caused by the plane of section (Try sectioning an orange in sagittal, parasagittal, equatorial and diagonal planes. The appearance of the orange sections is quite different depending upon the plane of section--the same variation in appearance occurs in tissue and organs because of the angle of sectioning). Try to find a typical perspective for your introduction to a new tissue or organ (use your atlas as a guide). Then try to imagine what it would look like in three dimensions.

A. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED atlas: Wheater's Functional Histology, 5th Ed., 2005.

B. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED text: Histology: A Test and Atlas, 5th Ed., 2007 by Ross and Pawlina . (Your Laboratory Manual is keyed to these editions. However, an earlier edition may also be used.)

C. Microscope slides of tissues and organs (Histology Loan Collection, provided).

If you have a problem, see the faculty member responsible for your laboratory section or the course director. A list of the course faculty with relevant information can be found in the Faculty Contact section of the course. Microscope, slide and light problems can be most efficiently dealt with by contact Dr. Velkey (jvelkey@med.umich.edu).

Please note that microscopes and slide boxes must not be removed from the lab (honor code violation). You may borrow up to 20 slides at a time in the small box in your locker. Please be sure to return slides to the correctly numbered slot. The current price for replacement slides is $8.00. For complex reasons (mostly money!) our slide collections are in perilous shape, but they are not all that bad compared to other schools both with respect to content and quality. Please note, however, that some of the slides are virtually irreplaceable, so treat them with the care and respect that you would give the other tools of your trade.

It is important that you report missing/stolen keys immediately to Dr. Velkey, as we have had incidences of microscope theft.

Checking Slide Boxes: Get out your slide boxes from the locker under your bench. (Be sure to lock it at the end of lab, as thefts have occurred). Be sure to take out the histology loan collection boxes, since the locker is shared by other courses and there are slide boxes for these other courses. Next, check for missing or broken slides. You should have the slides present in the box that are listed in the top of the box unless otherwise noted. List any missing or broken slides on the Loan Agreement handed out to you, read and sign the agreement and give it to your lab instructor. Also, turn in any extra slides you find in slots that are listed as empty.

References To Figures In This Lab Guide: The references in the LAB GUIDE are to Wheater's Functional Histology, 5th edition, designated "W" followed by page and figure numbers. BRING YOUR ATLAS TO CLASS! The references are also made to text portions of the book.

Looking At Slides: The following pages describe the use of your microscope. After you have read them, practice using slide #1, which is a slide of the liver. Be sure that you can recognize nuclei (blue/purple on this slide) and know approximately where the cell boundaries are (these are difficult to see in all areas of the slide, try for lightly stained cytoplasm). Practice getting the image in focus at all magnifications. Manipulate the light and condenser to get the best image in terms of resolution. See if you can find different shaped nuclei (round, oblong.)

Electron Micrographs: Electron micrograph wall charts in the hall are for the most part, micrographs provided by Dr. Johannes A. G. Rhodin, who also authored "An Atlas of Histology" (Oxford Press, 1974). Thus, many of the electron micrographs are also found in this atlas. However, Rhodin's atlas is not required and there is a copy of this atlas in every laboratory. Remember that the material contained herein is copyrighted, and it is intended to be used by histology students only. Duplication or distribution is prohibited by federal law. More detailed comments on electron micrographs appear at the end of the Epithelia section (the first lesson in this laboratory guide).