Spinal cord

🩺 Before you name anything

Take a deep breath and let's start with the basics. At low power, look for the overall shape. Here, you should see a central butterfly or H-shaped area, which is the gray matter, surrounded by lighter-staining white matter. This is a classic feature of the spinal cord. Now, focus on identifying the central canal, which might be visible. Students often rush to high power and get lost in the details, but remember, the architecture is your guide. Once you've confirmed the gray and white matter arrangement, you're on the right track. This structure is unique to the spinal cord, so recognising it early will help you avoid confusion with other tissues.