The disadvantages of xylene-based media include the hazards to the skin and lungs, as well as difficulties in demounting and cleaning the fibers before additional examinations such as interference microscopy. Phytohistol and five other previously untried mountants were evaluated, using information from manufacturers, visual assessment of color, and measurement of the refractive index with an Abbe refractometer. Further analysis revealed that phytohistol is colorless, water-soluble, and miscible with water and glycerine, without the health hazards of the use of xylene. It exhibits no fluorescence when fresh and does not absorb ultraviolet light. It dries out slowly and is therefore ideal for fiber removal for other forms of examination. The authors' laboratory now routinely uses it for examining fibers. Tables and 7 references (Author abstract modified)