[Histochemistry of the organs--application of histochemistry to anatomy]

Histochemistry has been developed as a science to localize chemical components of cells and tissues on histological sections by using chemical, physical and biological techniques. Many textbooks are available dealing with the methodology of histochemistry, consisting of fixation of tissues, demonstration of biochemical components such as nucleic acids, proteins, sugars, lipids, enzymes, pigments, inorganic substances and amines by means of chemical reactions (Fig. 5) or application of physical (Figs. 1-3, 6-13) and biological (Fig. 4) methods such as spectrophotometry, X-ray microanalysis, radioautography and immunohistochemistry. The methodology has been well developed to form a new science which should be given a designation "general histochemistry" as similar to general histology. On the other hand, these techniques should be applied to all the organ systems, i.e. the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, digestive (Figs. 1-6), respiratory (Figs. 7, 8), urinary (Fig. 9), genital (Fig. 10), endocrine (Fig. 11), nervous (Fig. 12), and sensory organs (Fig. 13). The results of these applications to all the organs should be collected and construct a new field of histochemistry of the organs like "histology of the organs". These results now form a new field of science which should be designated as "special histochemistry". Since the present author started the career as an anatomist and histologist in 1955, the author first aimed at the study of histochemistry by developing new chemical, physical and biological techniques such as enzyme histochemistry (Fig. 5), microspectrophotometry, autoradiography (Figs. 1-3, 6-13), cryo-techniques, immunohistochemistry (Fig. 4) and lectins in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. However, the author and coworkers made efforts to apply these techniques to various organ systems of humans and animals since the 1970s to the present time and collected data from all the organs including the aging process from embryos, neonates, sucklings, weanlings, adults and to senescence. The data include not only 3-dimensional structures of the organs but also the 4-dimensional features taking the time dimension into account using the radioautographic techniques by labeling cells and tissues in connection with the time lapse. The original papers published from our laboratory during these 40 years were reviewed and compiled to form a new field of science, which should be designated as histochemistry of the organs or, alternatively, special histochemistry. It is hoped that this new prospect would be well developed to form a novel system in medical science.