General Information

The histology material in the Cellular Sciences and System Sciences courses will be presented in a variety of ways, including lectures, laboratories (described in this Lab Manual), and readings (lecture notes). Our glass slides have been scanned and digitized in such a way as to permit analysis and viewing of the slides at very high resolution on your computer (“Virtual Microscopy”).  The webslides are delivered from a central server to your personal computer that acts as a digital microscope. To help you navigate these slides, we have put together this online laboratory manual which contains:

1. directions for proper use of your virtual microscope
2. links to the relevant slides for each lab session
3. hints for slide study
4. descriptions of all slides
5. lab review material
   

In the Cellular Sciences course, we will cover the microscopic anatomy of the basic tissues that comprise the the human body, which are:

• epithelial tissues
• connective tissues, including blood, cartilage, and bone
• muscle tissues
• nerve tissues

Our main goal is to explain the basic concepts and principles that govern the basic structure and function of each tissue.  Cellular Sciences uses lectures and laboratory sessions, with the lectures designed to provide background knowledge about each tissue and to serve as introductions or previews for the labs.  In the labs, each student will be able to learn at his/her own pace and develop skills at solving structural problems by analyzing data directly obtained with light (virtual) microscopic observations.  By the end of this course each student should be able to recognize, describe, and differentiate basic tissue types, their extracellular components, and their consituent cells.

In System Sciences we will cover the microscopic anatomy of the major organ systems of the human body.  Our main goal is to explain the basic concepts and principles that govern the structure of each organ.  You will analyze how the four major tissue types studied in Cellular Sciences (epithelium, connective tissue, muscle, and nerve) organize and integrate to form the organs.  System Sciences uses lectures and laboratory sessions, with the lectures designed to serve as introductions or previews for the labs.  In the labs, each student will be able to learn at his/her own pace and develop skills at solving structural problems by analyzing data directly obtained with light (virtual) microscopic observations.  By the end of this course each student should be able to recognize, describe, and differentiate the major organs according to their cellular structure and tissue distribution.