摘要：

This chapter reviews some of the methods of three-dimensional reconstruction that have been successfully used in the study of many different types of tissue. Historically, its first applications were in embryology, where it enabled workers to see systematically for the first time the spatial relationships of developing organs and systems. Its application in medicine and biology has permitted an understanding of both normal and abnormal tissues which was impossible with the ordinary histological techniques used in conjunction with single-section analysis. With the advent of the electron microscope, it describes the morphology of some of the smallest things resolvable by that instrument. Since it is one of the few techniques one have for making a detailed examination of fine structure, it must be hoped that with proper systematization it can be used to progress from the modeling of objects that can be observed in under 100 sections to the morphological analysis, by whatever means, of those nonmolecular intercellular relationships that are responsible for the integrative capacities of a system of cells.Finally, we describe some of the newer attemptsat reconstruction being developed specifically for the investigationof nervous tissue.

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