Volume 9, Number 3, p.p. 130–135
Procedures used in modern cell biology ignore natural laws
Harold Hillman
Unity Laboratory of Applied Neurobiology, 76 Epsom Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 2BX, UK
The procedures of subcellular fractionation, electron microscopy, histology and histochemistry are reviewed. It is concluded that the use of subcellular fractionation has several steps that ignore the implications of the second law of thermodynamics. Electron microscopy produces many images, which in micrographs are not interpretable as originating from three-dimensional objects. Histology and histochemistry procedures make it impossible to measure the dimensions, shapes, positions or chemistry of living cells. Practical measures are suggested to address these problems.
Keywords:
electron microscopy, histochemistry, histology, subcellular fractionation