<p><b>Acute Appendicitis</b>
</p><p>An exemplary case of acute <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appendicitis" class="extiw" title="en:Appendicitis">appendicitis</a> in a 10-year-old boy. The organ is enlarged and sausage-like (botuliform). This longitudinal section shows red inflamed mucosa with an irregular luminal surface. Diagnosed and removed early in the course of the disease, this appendix does not show late complications, like transmural necrosis, perforation, and abscess formation.
</p><p>Note: This photo was shot with a Nikon Coolpix 8800 with no macro attachment or other accessory. I used the "Closeup" setting in the "Scene" mode after presetting the white balance against a standard grey card. The specimen is slightly raised over a black velvet background and illuminated by Photofloods. Editing, done with Picasa, consisted of cropping, sharpening, and adjusting levels.
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This is an example of one of my "quick 'n' dirty" specimen photos, requiring little time and equipment  but still yielding acceptable results. If I were to shoot the same specimen for publication or competition, I would use a digital SLR with dedicated macro lens, spend more time preparing and propping up the specimen (to maximize the area in focus), take at least a dozen shots (rather than the two done for this one) with exposure bracketing, and do all editing in Photoship on the Mac at home (where I don't get a zillion interruptions).
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/people/78147607@N00">Ed Uthman</a> from Houston, TX, USA
CC BY 2.0
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/euthman/384615215/">Acute Appendicitis</a>