At the time of autopsy, the effects of many disease processes, injuries and toxic effects are readily recognizable with the naked eye. However, some pathological changes will require microscopic examination for recognition or to provide adequate documentation. In order for organs to be examined under the microscope, a small sample ("biopsy") of each organ to be examined, must be chemically processed, mounted on a glass slide and appropriately stained. The HCIFS employs two full-time, trained histotechnologists to process these tissue samples for microscopic examination by the pathologists. The histotechnologists also play an active role in the archiving of glass slides, "wet tissue" samples, and other anatomical specimens as may be deemed necessary for civil or criminal litigation.