Hey all, I'm having such a hard time studying histology. Our textbook is Basic Histology (Junquiera) and we have hand-me-down notes, but nothing ever sticks. It seems like everything has collagen fibers, loose connective tissue, etc. In the laboratory, I have the same problem. Like in the GIT, I cant seem to differentiate one part of the small intestine from the other. Any good references (book or online) or study techniques? Help!
Having problems with histology!
- Thread starter Ian
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I find it helpful to have the powerpoints on my computer. What I do is find all the photos in the textbooks, and type the captions into the powerpoints along with my notes and material from the syllabus, making the powerpoints into a giant study guide.
A few websites I find helpful are
http://www.histology-world.com/
http://medpics.ucsd.edu/index.cfm?curpage=main&course=hist&mode=browse
http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/
A few websites I find helpful are
http://www.histology-world.com/
http://medpics.ucsd.edu/index.cfm?curpage=main&course=hist&mode=browse
http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/
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I used your text in undergrad and then was told to use Wheaters in med school but continued with Junquiera since I felt very comfortable with the text. I found outlining the chapters worked and numerous classmates in college made notecards with key info or of a lab slide with what it was on the back. Good luck.
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For the written part of histo, it's like studying for any memorization-heavy biology class (although I like it because it makes sense physiologically). As far as the practical part: What I did in undergrad and now is that I look at a slide while studying and do a little mental checklist.
1. What organ/region/tissue am I looking at (i.e. what is the slide labeled)?
2. What did I learn in lecture about this tissue- what is it specialized to do? What should I see on this slide to reflect functional specializations? Ex. from the small intestine- the duodenum receives acidic chyme from the stomach, and has to prepare it to move on in the intestine, where optimal pH for enzymes is basic. So it makes sense that the duodenum should have Brunner's glands, which secrete an alkaline solution containing mucin and urogastrone.
3. Where should I find these special things? Brunner's glands- submucosa.
4. Look at the slide, find the region, find the specialization. Look at other regions of the small intestine... none of them will have anything that looks like Brunner's glands.
The point is- take note of special things you should see for each region/tissue/etc and look for those things in slides. It helps to remember the correlation between form and function.
1. What organ/region/tissue am I looking at (i.e. what is the slide labeled)?
2. What did I learn in lecture about this tissue- what is it specialized to do? What should I see on this slide to reflect functional specializations? Ex. from the small intestine- the duodenum receives acidic chyme from the stomach, and has to prepare it to move on in the intestine, where optimal pH for enzymes is basic. So it makes sense that the duodenum should have Brunner's glands, which secrete an alkaline solution containing mucin and urogastrone.
3. Where should I find these special things? Brunner's glands- submucosa.
4. Look at the slide, find the region, find the specialization. Look at other regions of the small intestine... none of them will have anything that looks like Brunner's glands.
The point is- take note of special things you should see for each region/tissue/etc and look for those things in slides. It helps to remember the correlation between form and function.
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Alright, so I'm also being thrown for a loop by histo.
My problem isn't with facts or organization, but that EVERYTHING looks the same to me. Squamous v. cuboidal, psuedostratified v. stratified, capilaries, ducts, etc. It's all just a giant, blurry mess (we have virtual slides) to me, and it doesn't help that any given structure (blood vessel for example) can look dramatically different in different settings, or even slides of the same tissue. I can figure out what structures I'm supposed to be able to see based on the tissue and region, and where I'm supposed to look, but when I go try to pick out, say, an intestinal crypt or a striated duct, I just don't see it.
Any advice? Particularly good histo resource?
My problem isn't with facts or organization, but that EVERYTHING looks the same to me. Squamous v. cuboidal, psuedostratified v. stratified, capilaries, ducts, etc. It's all just a giant, blurry mess (we have virtual slides) to me, and it doesn't help that any given structure (blood vessel for example) can look dramatically different in different settings, or even slides of the same tissue. I can figure out what structures I'm supposed to be able to see based on the tissue and region, and where I'm supposed to look, but when I go try to pick out, say, an intestinal crypt or a striated duct, I just don't see it.
Any advice? Particularly good histo resource?
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Shotgun Histology is pretty good too:
http://www.medicalschoolpathology.com/ShotgunHistology.htm
They are quick videos where the instructor walks you through each slide. Its good to watch before a lab class, that way things will look familiar to you when you see them.
Also, make sure you really take your time with the basics, e.g. squamous and cuboid shouldn't look the same at all. Try to get a tutor or another student to sit down with you and show you the differences. The trick is to do it repeatedly over a few days, you have to get your mind accustomed to seeing these structures, unfortunately you can't cram for it 🙁
As for something like ducts or crypts, remember to break it down to the basics:
Crypts - Basically, they are regions where the epithelium "falls" into the lamina propria above the muscularis mucosa. Be it in the tonsils or intestine, "crypt" still describes the same basic structure.
Duct - A region for glands to secrete into to, usually just an empty space between a cluster of cells
And you already know what striated means from muscles. Just put the words together 🙂 Don't try to memorize, try to understand and it makes everything a lot easier.
Good luck! 👍
http://www.medicalschoolpathology.com/ShotgunHistology.htm
They are quick videos where the instructor walks you through each slide. Its good to watch before a lab class, that way things will look familiar to you when you see them.
Also, make sure you really take your time with the basics, e.g. squamous and cuboid shouldn't look the same at all. Try to get a tutor or another student to sit down with you and show you the differences. The trick is to do it repeatedly over a few days, you have to get your mind accustomed to seeing these structures, unfortunately you can't cram for it 🙁
As for something like ducts or crypts, remember to break it down to the basics:
Crypts - Basically, they are regions where the epithelium "falls" into the lamina propria above the muscularis mucosa. Be it in the tonsils or intestine, "crypt" still describes the same basic structure.
Duct - A region for glands to secrete into to, usually just an empty space between a cluster of cells
And you already know what striated means from muscles. Just put the words together 🙂 Don't try to memorize, try to understand and it makes everything a lot easier.
Good luck! 👍
