[NHCOLL-L:5468] Re: Celebrate 04 June
John E Simmons
simmons.johne at gmail.com
Fri Jun 3 17:35:52 EDT 2011
Of course Kelly is correct, but so is Andy as the creature in the mescal
bottle is called "the agave worm," though it is not a worm (in fact, it can
be either of two kinds of larvae). Here is a description from the book I am
working on:
Mescal is an alcoholic beverage that is distilled from the piña (corazon) of
various types of agave or maguey plants, principally in the Oaxaca region of
Mexico. The piña mash is cooked, sugars added, allowed to ferment, and then
distilled twice to yield a mescal that is about 40% ethyl alcohol (80
proof). Following distillation, the mescal is aged in wooden barrels to
give it color. Most people recognize mescal by the presence of the “worm,”
which is a larva of the agave snout weevil or agave moth, often found in the
piña after it is harvested. The tradition of adding the worm to mescal is
thought to have its origin in providing proof of the alcohol content of the
beverage.
--John
On Fri, Jun 3, 2011 at 4:47 PM, Sendall, Kelly RBCM:EX <
KSENDALL at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca> wrote:
> I think you mean insect larva!
>
>
>
> Kelly
>
>
>
> *From:* owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:
> owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *Bentley, Andrew Charles
> *Sent:* Friday, June 03, 2011 1:00 PM
> *To:* 'simmons.johne at gmail.com'; Steve Halford
>
> *Cc:* NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [NHCOLL-L:5463] Re: Celebrate 04 June
>
>
>
> I’m there in a heartbeat – maybe we can even talk standards and best
> practices while we are at it J. I vote that none of the spirits can
> contain any specimen of any nature unless it is a worm!!!
>
>
>
> Andy
>
>
>
> A : A : A :
> }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
> V V V
> Andy Bentley
> Ichthyology Collection Manager
> University of Kansas
> Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Institute
> Dyche Hall
> 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
> Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
> USA
>
> Tel: (785) 864-3863
> Fax: (785) 864-5335
> Email: abentley at ku.edu :
> : :
> A : A : A :
> }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
> V V V
>
>
>
> *From:* owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:
> owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] *On Behalf Of *John E Simmons
> *Sent:* Friday, June 03, 2011 1:49 PM
> *To:* Steve Halford
> *Cc:* NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [NHCOLL-L:5461] Re: Celebrate 04 June
>
>
>
> 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
>
--
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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