[NHCOLL-L:5456] Celebrate 04 June

[John E Simmons]

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
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