The section shown in the image was most likely coverslipped improperly by which action?

• A. Mounted in resin
• B. Coverslipped improperly by mashing on the coverslip
• C. Stained with hematoxylin
• D. Dry-mounted without coverslip

Answer: (B)

Coverslipping must be done with gentle, even contact to avoid distorting the tissue. Mashing on the coverslip applies excessive pressure, crushing the tissue and pushing the mounting medium aside, which creates compression artifacts and smeared, flattened morphology. The image’s appearance—distorted architecture and loss of detail—is characteristic of this kind of coverslip-induced damage. Other steps like mounting in resin, staining with hematoxylin, or dry-mounting without a coverslip would produce different issues (color changes, or a missing coverslip with no compression artifact), not the crushed, smeared look shown.