Soft nervous tissue was delicate and difficult to work with.

Soft nervous tissue was delicate and difficult to work with.And even when researchers were able to get it under the microscope,the tissue was so densely packed it was impossible to see much.To improve their view,scientists began experimenting with special staining techniques designed to provide clarity through contrast.The most effective came courtesy of Camillo Golgi in 1873.First, Golgi hardened the brain tissue with potassium bichromate to prevent cells from deforming during handling.Then he doused the tissue in silver nitrate,which visibly accumulated in nerve cells.