ABSTRACT
Silver stains have been widely applied to identify various cell types and tissue components in routinely processed tissue sections, though they have declined somewhat in importance since the introduction of immunohistochemical techniques. However, some silver techniques are still useful for both histology and histopathology. In this chapter, three silver staining methodsMasson, Grimelius, and Sevier-Munger, useful for identification of neuroendocrine cells-are commented on, their achievements reported, and their chemical backgrounds, when known, are briefly reviewed. For the Masson and Grimelius techniques, microwave irradiation procedures, which allow the completion of the staining in only a few minutes, are outlined.
