Apparatus for mounting biological specimens

Claim 1

A DEVICE FOR SOLIDIFYING MOLTEN EMBEDMENT MATERIAL AROUND A BIOLOGICAL SPECIMEN; SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A RELATIVELY THICK, HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED HEAT-CONDUCTIVE PLATE HAVING AT LEAST ONE UPWARDLY OPENING MOLD-CAVITY FORMED THEREIN, SAID PLATE BEING SET INTO A BLOCK OF THERMALLY INSULATIVE MATERIAL SO THAT THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PLATE IS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE BLOCK AND THE TOP SURFACE AND OPENING TO THE MOLD-CAVITY ARE EXPOSED, THERMOELECTRIC COLD JUNCTION MEANS EMBEDDED WHOLLY WITHIN THE BLOCK AND RIGIDLY SECURED DIRECTLY IN HEAT CONDUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP UPON THE EMBEDDED PORTION OF SAID PLATE FOR REDUCING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE PLATE SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, A HEAT SINK ALSO EMBEDDED WITHIN THE BLOCK AND BEING RIDIDLY SECURED IN HEAT CONDUCTIVE RELATION TO THE THERMOELECTRIC MEANS, SAID HEAT SINK HAVING A PLURALITY OF AIR-PASSAGES THERETHROUGH WHICH OPEN UPON LATERAL FACES OF THE BLOCK, AND HEAT-INSULATIVE COVER MEANS REMOVABLY MOUNTED OVER THE TOP OF THE PLATE TO ENCLOSE THE TOP SURFACE THEREOF.