Paraffinists

Paraffinist is a historical or regional term used to designate a person who works with paraffin wax in laboratory or industrial settings. In modern usage, the label most often appears in reference to histology and pathology laboratories, where paraffin wax is used to embed tissue samples for microscopic analysis.

Typical duties include operating tissue processors, dehydrating specimens through graded alcohols, clearing with solvents, infiltrating with molten paraffin, and orienting and embedding tissue blocks in paraffin. The prepared blocks are then trimmed and sectioned on a microtome for slide staining and examination. Paraffinists may also assist with quality control, labeling, and maintaining embedding and sectioning equipment.

Education and certification: Many paraffinists are trained as histology technicians or technologists. Programs in histology, cytology, or medical laboratory technology provide relevant coursework. Certification is available from professional bodies, such as histotechnologist/technician credentials, and is common in English-speaking countries for laboratory employment.

History and terminology: The technique of paraffin embedding became standard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, greatly enabling routine microscopic pathology. The modern, more common job titles are histotechnologist, histology technician, or paraffin technician; paraffinist is considered archaic or regional.

Safety and working conditions: The work involves heating paraffin and solvents, making ventilation and PPE important. Procedures follow institutional safety guidelines and regulatory requirements for clinical laboratories.

Paraffinists are most closely associated with histology and pathology, though the term is not widely used in contemporary professional titles. Related topics include histology and histotechnologist.