Most pathologists have been trained for years to immerse surgical specimens and viscera removed at autopsy in formalin, sometimes even before they are examined and dissected, to preserve their cell detail and configuration. The result is a colorless, hard, rigid, often unrecognizable specimen that bears no resemblance to the colorful, soft, pliable original tissue observed by the surgeon or the autopsy prosector. For teaching purposes, especially to undergraduate medical students, it is almost mandatory for the specimens to be fresh, as observed in the patient, and not in the preserved state. Unfortunately, only a few pathologists abide by this principle. . . .
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Castleman et al. (1974) studied this question.