[Nhcoll-l] Transferring specimens from 70% alcohol into water for scientific drawing, and back again....

[Esther Dondorp]

Dear All,

We have a project for which our scientific illustrator needs to draw
salamanders/frogs from the spirit collection. The specimens are stored in
70% alcohol (some of them probably have been fixed in formalin before but I
am not sure) and during the drawing process they take them out of the jar
and submerge them in water. This can take hours. I think this is not good
for the specimens and will damage them eventually, also because after that
we put them into 70% alcohol again. This will be quite a shock to the
tissue I guess. But because they always did it like this, I started
doubting myself. What do you think?

Would there be some other substance to put the specimens in during the
drawing process that would be less damaging for the specimens and also not
intoxicate the illustrator? Or maybe we could use a lower percentage of
alcohol?

Many thanks, any comment on this appreciated.

Esther Dondorp

Collection manager Reptiles and Amphibians,  Naturalis
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