Cryostat: A cryostat is a chamber specifically designed to sustain extremely low temperatures. In medical labs, it's commonly employed to keep tissue samples frozen. Inside these cryostats, a microtome, a highly precise cutting tool, is used to slice the tissue into ultra-thin sections that can be observed under a microscope. The slices must be thin enough to appear almost see-through. A pathologist, a specialized doctor trained to detect disease in microscopic structures, then inspects the slices to determine the presence or absence of diseases like cancer. Utilizing frozen samples allows doctors to evaluate and diagnose the tissue more rapidly compared to non-frozen preservation methods. Microtomes can also be used independently of cryostats to produce thin samples for microscopic examination. The term "cryostat" originates from the Greek words "kryos" (meaning cold) and "statos" (meaning standing or stationary, similar to the cryostat itself). The word "kryos" has led to many English terms, such as "cryonics" (the application of cold in medicine for beneficial outcomes) and "cryosurgery" (the use of freezing temperatures to eliminate diseased tissue). "Statos" and related Greek terms have given rise to English words like "static" and "stationary."
