Light micrograph of the renal cortex of an albino rat. The smaller size of the kidney makes it possible to observe the entire renal cortex and the border between the cortex and medulla in a single microscopic field. The tissue was fixed by perfusion, which explains the dilated appearance of the cortical arteries and veins. In the cortex, renal corpuscles are clearly visible. In the outer medulla (right), the difference between the outer stripe (similar to the cortex, but without renal corpuscles) and the inner stripe (which appears lighter, with cross-sectioned tubules) can be seen.