Incidence, Size and Shape of Meta-cortex Fibres in Wool

Abstract

THE presence of a basophilic, sulphur-deficient core in some wools has been reported^1,2, and the core has been called the meta-cortex to differentiate it from the ortho- and para-portions of the cortex. Recently, solvent-cleaned samples of several types of wool have been stained by being boiled for 15 min in methylene blue (0.05 g/l.) at pH 6.5, thoroughly rinsed, and afterwards cross-sectioned using a Hardy microtome. The fibre cross-sections were examined for the presence of a medulla, or of a stained meta-cortex, and their major and minor axes were measured using a projection microscope at a magnification of 500. For each sample approximately 500 fibres were examined. The percentages in each class are set out in Table 1.