Mushy sections can be caused by?

• A. Under dehydration
• B. Over dehydration
• C. Over infiltration
• D. Under fixation

Answer: (A)

The main factor here is how well water is removed from the tissue before embedding. If dehydration is underperformed, residual water remains in the tissue. Water does not mix with paraffin, so paraffin cannot infiltrate properly, leaving the tissue only partially embedded and still soft. When you cut these blocks, the tissue feels pliable and gummy rather than firm, so the sections come out mushy and smear easily.

So, under dehydration leads to incomplete removal of water, poor paraffin infiltration, and a soft, mushy section. In contrast, over dehydration makes tissue brittle and crack-prone, which isn’t the issue asked about here. Under fixation can cause poor morphology, but the specific mushy texture points to insufficient dehydration.