[Nhcoll-l] Advice on removing specimens from glass tubes

[James Bryant]

Turtox! Fascinating, John. I agree that it would be useful to know how old these preparations might be. If they’ve remained stable this long, I can’t imagine there are many other reasons to disturb them.

Perhaps I’ve just not recalling things, but are there any instrumental methods to analyze the content of solutions used in fluid collections without disturbing the containers?

James Bryant
SOJOURN Science - Nature - Education
Santa Fe, NM
https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bryant-0598a940/


> On Feb 28, 2022, at 1:00 PM, John E Simmons <simmons.johne at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> This technique was published in Turtox News 15(10:129 in October of 1937 in an anonymous short article with the title "A method of displaying snakes." The article includes a photograph of a rack holding a number of long tubes with preserved snakes stretched out in them, sent in by "Professor John M. Frazier of the State Teachers College, Hattiesburg Mississippi." Prof. Frazier reported that "The snakes are injected with formalin-alcohol preservative and are hardened instraight and extended position. They are then inserted in the glass tubes, the ends of which are sealed with cork or rubber stoppers and coated with paraffin after the tubes have been completely filled with the preserving solution."
> 
> There were several "formalin-alcohol preservative" mixtures that were popular at the time, the idea being that you could reduce the two-steps of fixation and preservation into one. These mixtures were not successful because the chemical actions of the formaldehyde and alcohol interfered with each other, resulting in uneven preservation as tissues were dehydrated. For example, one mixture called for 95ml of 70% ETOH and 5 ml of formaldehyde; another for 50 parts alcohol, 5 parts formaldehyde, and 45 parts water. It may also refer to what was more commonly called FAA, which was formaldehyde, alcohol, and acetic acid.
> 
> You cannot tell just by looking what solution the specimens are in, but I expect it is alcohol due to the discoloration (formaldehyde does not extract lipids as readily as alcohol). However, I would handle these as if they did contain formaldehyde and take appropriate precautions until you are sure. The problem with re-housing the specimens will be that they are going to be very stiff and it will be difficult to coil them up without damaging them. If they are not leaking, and you do not need to remove the specimens for examination, I would leave them as they are but house the tubes in a way that will reduce the chance of breakage, such as in a box or tray with half-rounds of cardboard to keep them from rolling or touching each other. They are an excellent example of an old technique that was rather quaint.
> 
> Any idea when the specimens were preserved?
> 
> --John
> 
> John E. Simmons
> Writer and Museum Consultant
> Museologica
> and
> Associate Curator of Collections
> Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
> Penn State University
> and
> Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia
> Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima
> 
> 
> On Mon, Feb 28, 2022 at 2:02 PM Luisa Zamora Chavez <lzamorac at asu.edu <mailto:lzamorac at asu.edu>> wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> I have a few liquid-preserved snakes in glass tubes that were donated to our collections sometime ago. The tubes are sealed shut using what appears to be plastic corks, tape, and sealant. We're not sure if the liquid they're in is formalin or something other than ethanol. 
> 
> I am wondering if anyone has had any experience with this sort of preservation and any advice on how to transfer the specimens to a more stable mode? We'd like to keep some of them but fear the tubes might break. We are unsure of what liquid is typically used for this type of preservation and would like to be as prepared as possible so we can safely remove them from the tubes (if that is at all possible). I have included some pictures of the specimens for reference. Any help is greatly appreciated!  
> 
> Kind regards,
> Luisa
> 
> 
> -- 
> Luisa Zamora Chavez 
> Pronouns: she/they
> Research Technician
> Arizona State University Biocollections
> Lzamorac at asu.edu <mailto:Lzamorac at asu.edu>
> 602-737-8357
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