A Carbon-Gelatin Injection Mass for Minute Vascular and Respiratory Passages

Abstract

Coronary arterioles and pulmonary air passages of dogs could be injected completely with a carbon-gelatin mixture heated at the start of the injection to 52-58°C. Formula: chloral hydrate, 40 gm; carbon (Peerless Black, Columbian Carbon Co., 214 44th St., Brooklyn, N. Y.), 20-40 gm; distilled water, 950 ml; mix thoroughly in a Waring blendor, then add a mixture of Tween 80 (Atlas Powder Co., Wilmington, Del.), 20 ml; and water, 30 ml at 40°C, and agitate to a homogeneous suspension. For use, mix equal parts of the suspension and a 16% gelatin solution (Bacto-Gelatin, Difco Laboratories Inc., Detroit, Mich.) at 52-58°C. With this material the precapillary arterioles may be microscopically studied in relation to their myocardial distribution and the finer respiratory passages of lung investigated, providing all the apparatus with which the solution comes in contact is clean and the combined carbon-gelatin mass is injected shortly after mixing.