Manson's Blue

Manson's Blue (Manson), a 2% solution of methylene blue (Methylenblau med. pur.) in a 5% aqueous borax solution; dissolves upon boiling. The solution itself is unstable and lasts only about 6 weeks. As a staining method, especially for malarial plasmodia, it is rapid and reliable. The often-mentioned solution is diluted with distilled water until a 1 cm³ layer of liquid just begins to be translucent. The fixed object, after treatment with ethyl alcohol, is thoroughly dried and immersed several times in the prepared solution until the blood takes on a greenish-blue tint. The parasites are blue and stand out clearly against the light greenish-blue background of the erythrocytes. This same staining method is also referred to as the Manson-Koch stain.