The process of removing water from tissue is most directly tested by which term?

• A. Dehydration
• B. Hydration
• C. Clearing
• D. Embedding

Answer: (A)

Removing water from tissue is accomplished during dehydration, the step in histologic processing that uses graded alcohols to replace water. This drying prepares the tissue for paraffin infiltration. Hydration would reintroduce water, which is the opposite. Clearing follows dehydration and prepares the tissue for embedding, while embedding is the infiltration with paraffin itself. So dehydration is the term that directly describes removing water from tissue.