A staining solution combining carbolic acid (phenol) with fuchsin dye, historically used to color bacteria for microscopic examination.
From carbolic (phenol-based) plus fuchsin (a red synthetic dye), a compound term created by bacteriologists in the late 19th century.
Carbolfuchsin was the stain that helped scientists finally *see* tuberculosis bacteria—before this, the disease was invisible under the microscope, making it impossible to understand!
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