Differentiation of histochemically visualized mercury and silver

Accumulations of silver and mercury can be visualized in tissue sections by a technique called autometallography or physical development. In order to make a histological differentiation between mercury and silver in tissue exposed to both metals, it is necessary to remove one of the metals while leaving the other untouched. The present paper describes a technique by which silver accumulations in histological sections can be removed by potassium cyanide, yet leaving mercury accumulations intact to be developed autometallographically.