Abstract
Böhmer and Fischer independently introduced the stains hematoxylin and eosin in 1865 and 1875, respectively.1,2 In 1867, Schwarz introduced the first double-staining technique using successive solutions of picric acid and carmine.3 With the idea of a double-staining technique already published, it wasn’t difficult for Wissowzky to describe the combination of the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) dyes in 1876.4 All four authors published their articles in German journals, two in the same journal, which may account for the relative rapidity of communication and development in those pre-Internet times more than a century ago.
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Notes
- 1.
C.I. numbers are 5-digit numbers assigned by The Society of Dyers and Colourists (http://www.sdc.org.uk/) to uniquely identify stains with the same chemical composition but different names. These 5-digit numbers must be specified when publishing or purchasing dyes to ensure using the same dye, even if identified by different names.
- 2.
Harris and Gill are the only currently marketed hematoxylin formulations in America.…Further, their names are the only ones cited in the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA ’88) interpretive guidelines: “Stains used (i.e., Harris, Gill or other type of hematoxylin…”14
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Gill, G.W. (2013). H&E Stain. In: Cytopreparation. Essentials in Cytopathology, vol 12. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4933-1_12
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