THE SPECIFICITY OF THE ARGYROPHIL REACTION IN THE ISLETS OF LANGERHANS IN MAN

Abstract

ABSTRACT By studying the Islets of Langerhans in man in thin Bouin fixed paraffin sections, first after impregnation with silver, and subsequently after removal of the silver, stained with Gomori's chrome-haematoxylin or aldehyde-fuchsin, it was possible to assess the specificity of the argyrophil reaction. Reports in the literature that some of the B cells were also silver impregnated could not be confirmed. On the other hand, the argyrophil reaction was not characteristic for all the A cells, since a minority of them were not blackened. In agreement with these observations, the considerably higher frequency of silver cells over A cells, previously reported in connection with comparative differential cell counts on the same human pancreas material, was shown to be only apparent.