A Modified Papanicolaou Stain for Cytological Structures

A modified stain for general routine cytology use is presented. This stain is basically that of Papanicolaou, but prepared as a single prebuffered powder in 95% ethanol to make one staining solution. The tinctorial patterns are similar to its predecessor — thus cell identification presents little difficulty. The staining solution is relatively stable and repeated use does not appreciably diminish its potency. Barr bodies stain exceedingly well, eliminating special procedures for these structures.