[NHCOLL-L:5461] Re: Celebrate 04 June

[John E Simmons]

Steve, as usual you are a genius.  I propose we inaugurate the Willliam
Croone Spirit Assessment Society (to be known informally as the Old Crounes)
which will meet quasi-annually around the time of the SPNHC meeting.  Anyone
who wants to join can show up with a bottle of their favorite spirits to
share with their fellow Old Crounes.

Anyone interested?

--John

On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 1:25 PM, Steve Halford <halford at sfu.ca> wrote:

> Should we plan something for next year, the trisemicentennial?
>
> Steve.
>
> --
> Steve Halford (halford at sfu.ca)
> Museum Technician
> Department of Biological Sciences
> Simon Fraser University
> 8888 University Drive
> Burnaby, B.C. Canada               Phone
> V5A 1S6                                  778-782-3461
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 9:26 AM, John E Simmons <simmons.johne at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Tomorrow is a significant, but little known anniversary of an important
> > event in the history of natural history collections.  On the 4th of June
> in
> > the year 1662, William Croone appeared before the Royal Society of London
> > and “…produced two embryos of puppy-dogs, which he had kept eight days,
> and
> > were put in spirit in a glass-vial sealed hermetically...”  This is the
> > first recorded mention of modern fluid preservation of a scientific
> > specimen.
> >
> >
> >
> > The Transactions of the Royal Society report that almost immediately
> Robert
> > Boyle leaped up and “… promised to make like experiment in rabbets” and
> > indeed, Boyle is often mistakenly credited with inventing preservation in
> > alcohol.  The next mention of fluid preservation was when another member
> > brought to the Royal Society an “abortive human foetus, kept in spirit
> well
> > rectified” (meaning double distilled).  In 1664 Boyle donated to the
> society
> > specimens of a linnet and a snake he had preserved in alcohol four months
> > previous.
> >
> >
> >
> > Croone (sometimes spelled Croune) was born in London on 15 September 1633
> > and received a degree from Emmanuel College (Cambridge) in 1650.  In 1659
> > Croone was appointed Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College in London,
> > where he fell in with a small group of men interested in science
> experiments
> > who founded the Royal Society of London in 1662.  Croone was named
> “Doctor
> > of Physic” by royal mandate at Cambridge in 1662 and elected a Fellow in
> the
> > College of Physicians on 29 June 1675.  When Croone died in 1684 his will
> > established two lectureships, one for the Royal College of Physicians,
> the
> > other for the Royal Society.  The income for the Royal Society
> lectureship
> > came from one-fifth of the rent paid by the King’s Head Tavern on Old
> Fish
> > Street, London, at the corner of Lambeth Hill.
> >
> >
> >
> > It was Croone’s interest in embryology (one of many areas of science to
> > which he contributed) that led him to discover fluid preservation.  I
> invite
> > all SPNHC members to raise a glass in celebration of this momentous
> > anniversary tomorrow, 04 June, preferably by sharing a fine single malt
> > whiskey with friends and reflecting on how often significant developments
> in
> > our field have come about when we are really trying to solve some other
> > problem.
> >
> >
> >
> > References for the True Nerds Among Us
> >
> > Birch, T.  1756-1757.  The History of the Royal Society of London for
> > Improving of Natural Knowledge from its First Rise.  Volume I.  A.
> Millar,
> > London
> >
> > Cole, F.J.  1944.  A History of Comparative Anatomy from Aristotle to the
> > Eighteenth Century.  MacMillan and Company, Ltd., London, viii + 524
> pages.
> >
> > Payne, L.M., L.G. Wilson, and H. Hartley.  1960.  Notes and Records of
> the
> > Royal Society of London 15:211-219.
> >
> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Croone
> >
> > http://rsnr.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/15/1/211.full.pdf
> >
> >
> >
> > -- John
> >
> > John E. Simmons
> > Museologica
> > 128 E. Burnside Street
> > Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
> > simmons.johne at gmail.com
> > 303-681-5708
> > www.museologica.com
> > and
> > Adjunct Curator of Collections
> > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
> > Penn State University
> > University Park, Pennsylvania
> > and
> > Lecturer in Art
> > Juniata College
> > Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
> >
> >
>



-- 
John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
and
Lecturer in Art
Juniata College
Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
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