Artifacts are distortions of the biological sample caused by human manipulation. Our interest is in distinguishing normal biological form from alterations caused by disease. The challenge is to interpret and separate the normal and pathological conditions from the artifacts, which have no bearing on the case. Some artifacts are common, others more unusual - some are avoidable, others are more-or-less constant, and must be accounted for when you examine tissues. After a while, you will stop seeing them as you learn to concentrate on the biological message within each slide.

Shrinkage

Breakage

Knife Marks

Edge Damage

Poor Fixation

Dust

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