[Nhcoll-l] Lacerta and other specimens

[Simon Moore]

Hi Sergio,

I would endorse Dirk’s advice on this in that changing from formalin to alcohol can often dissolve the dyes in injection media.  Most older specimens were injected with coloured latex and the dyes can leach out into alcohol so that you lose the staining and the specimen takes up the colour instead!

With all good wishes, Simon.

Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR
Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian,
www.natural-history-conservation.com 




> On 4 Nov 2017, at 19:25, Dirk Neumann <dirk.neumann at zsm.mwn.de> wrote:
> 
> Dear Sergio,
> 
> I would be careful with those anatomical specimens; as we can learn from the picture, the arteries are still vividly red - which suggests that the holding fluid or the specimens contains heavy metal salts to preserve the colour; Simon Moore perhaps has an idea what was used for this staining.
> 
> If you open the jars, I would do this only in a fume cupboard with suited eye protection etc. The fluid itself looks like it would be alcohol-based, but you should definitely test it first. (e.g. by adding a bit alcohol and carefully watch if you see any density differences; a test for formalin surely is recommended, too). If mercury salts are included, dropping a 1-cent (copper) coin could give a positive test result (mercury precipitate on the surface of the coin), but other salts would be more difficult to detect.
> 
> I have inherited a similar collection from the veterinary medicine department of our university and for the moment I tilted the jars (and secured them that they remain stable in this position) so that the prepared specimen remains submerged in the remaining fluid. Not ideal, but prevents the specimen from drying up.
> 
> If you decide to open the jars, in this case a complete exchange of the holding fluid (after testing) would be recommended. But you should surely avoid to change the holding fluid from e.g. formalin to alcohol.
> 
> Hope this helps
> Dirk 
> 
> 
> Am 03.11.2017 um 13:36 schrieb Sergio Montagud:
>> Dear all,
>> 
>> I am entomologist, but now I'm also the curator of Zoological collections of the University of Valencia. Last weeks, we received a very large collection (near 800 specimens of birds and mammals) with very old specimens of Vertebrates. Some of them, are reptiles and very bad preserved in old jars as I show in the enclose picture.
>> 
>> My question is how we should proceed to reubicate and disposal these exemplars? What cain of preserved fluid do you recommend?
>> 
>> Thank you in advance
>> 
>> Sergio Montagud
>> 
>> --
>> ********************************
>> Sergio Montagud Alario
>> Universitat de València
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