Since the 19th century and
continuing to this day, a
tried-and-true technique for
visualizing internal and
soft-tissue anatomy has been
histology. As commonly
practiced, a given specimen is
demineralized, its water content
slowly replaced with alcohol
followed by a stable medium such
as paraffin. This block is
mounted onto a microtome, cut
into very thin slices, and
stained so that any given slice
clearly shows blood vessels,
nerves, muscles, cartilages and
other tissues down to the level
of an individual cell. Thanks to
the generosity of numerous
individuals from the medical and
biological sciences, the
University Museum of Zoology,
Cambridge, has accumulated a
diverse collection of
histologically sectioned
vertebrate specimens, often at
multiple stages of embryological
development.
Our histology collection consists of serial sections of approximately 168 mammals, 153 non-avian reptiles, 97 amphibians, 20 ray-finned fish, and a few specimens of chick, lungfish, lamprey, and lancelet. Particularly well-sampled species, at multiple developmental stages, include the tuatara (Sphenodon), the afrotherians Potamogale and Elephantulus, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus) and echidna (Tachyglossus). Also represented in our collection is a baleen whale (Balaenoptera), colugos (Cynocephalus volans), a foetal elephant (Loxodonta africana), and many other species.
Further details are available
via this
table and our online
database by typing "histo"
into the "catalogue number"
field. Note that our catalogue
is imperfect. Much information
has regrettably been lost in
previous decades and we cannot
guarantee that all of our
current records are accurate.
Students and other scientific
researchers are invited to use
our collection following the
terms and conditions shown on
our collections
website. We have microscopy,
photographic, and computing facilities
available to qualified
researchers. If you would like
access, please contact our collections
manager or Robert
J. Asher.
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