Microtome

Dissections mean opportunities to create slides of what the students are looking at and learn how to slice very thinly so we can see what is going on at the cellular level using a Microtome. A microtome is a scientific instrument used to cut very thin slices of material, known as sections. These sections can then be mounted on a microscope slide and viewed under a microscope for further analysis.

Microtomes are commonly used in a variety of scientific fields, including biology, pathology, and materials science. In biology, microtomes are often used to prepare sections of plant or animal tissue for microscopy. In pathology, microtomes are used to cut sections of human or animal tissue for histological examination. In materials science, microtomes are used to cut sections of materials for microscopic examination to study their structure and properties.

There are several types of microtomes, including manual microtomes, motorized microtomes, and cryomicrotomes. Mine is really basic. Manual microtomes use a hand crank to advance the material through a blade, while motorized microtomes use an electric motor to do the same. Cryomicrotomes are used to cut frozen sections of material, such as tissue that has been preserved in cryogenic fluids.