Paraffin sectioning in the modern laboratory and the problem of static electricity: a review

Build-up of static electricity frequently hampers proper production and handling of serial paraffin sections produced on a microtome, a problem that is exacerbated in modern, fully climatized laboratories. In this context, we review a number of suggested remedies for static electricity, concerning increase of humidity, in one way or the other, and various kinds of anti-static devices. An excellent solution, the shockless one-point ionizing bar that we have implemented in our laboratory, albeit not new, is presented here in detail.