The frosted surface results in a larger surface area than would result in a
plain surface of similar area.  This larger surface area distributes the
associated suspension medium over a greater area and brings the cells into
contact with glass, where the cells can make contact, and adhere more
strongly -- though they tend to round up rather than flattening, which is
preferable.  The frosted surface disappears best optically when the
refractive index of the mounting medium after drying approximates that of
glass (i.e., 1.52 per ASTM specs).  Also, dirty microscopes and glare
producing illumination (i.e., non-Kohler, aperture diaphragm wide open) can
mask frosted surface while simultaneously degrading the image quality.
These so-called Dakin slides were introduced into the scientific literature
in an article in Science (?) in about 1954 by Evelyn Dakin, an associate of
Ernst Ayer, father of the Ayre's spatula for sampling the endocervical os
and vaginal wall.

Good cell spread technique eliminates the need for Dakin slides.

Gary Gill

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gayle Callis [mailto:uvsgc@msu.oscs.montana.edu]
> Sent: April 19, 1999 9:23 AM
> To: histonet@Pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject: fully frosted slides
>
>
> the fully frosted slides were used to hold the cells from fatty breast
> aspirations, and some sputums.  I recall the cytotech touting them
> as having more surface area (on the etched surface) to hold the cells
> better.  They seemed to work well, but never used for histology except to
> hold a bone section for grinding, a tedious bloodied knuckle procedure.
>
> If one wanted to try them, just mount the section on the frosted end of
> a microscope slide, could be a good way to test (even though the very
> end of a slide!) to see if the section stays on better.  The
> frost disappears
> when a coverslip is mounted and the media flows into all those ground
> spaces, etc.
>
> Knuckle scars to prove it,
>
> Gayle Callis
>