"B" was for buffered sublimate, meaning a buffered mercuric fixative.

"5" because it was the 5th formulation that was the best. As opposed
to B-12 or B-17.

(Wouldn't that have been fun - having a fixative that people think
was named after a vitamin or an bomber! That would have added
to the confusion!)

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carrie Kyle" <ckyle@cvdls.ucdavis.edu>
To: <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>; <jkiernan@uwo.ca>
Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 2:46 PM
Subject: Re: B5


and why in the heck do we call it "B5"????
carrie