On the Preservation of Specimens

The technical section that follows describes several improvements in long-term anatomical preservation. Before proceeding, I must mention that no preservative fluid should ever be stored in a bottle previously used for spirits. This advice is the product of experience.

During the Valecourt expedition, an assistant placed a jar containing a preserved Gremlin renal specimen beside several bottles of plum brandy. The labels became wet and the ink ran. Fortunately the mistake was discovered before anyone drank the preservative; unfortunately, it was not discovered before I poured brandy over the kidney. The specimen was not materially damaged. The brandy was.

Professor Hest later cited this incident in correspondence as evidence that I am “careless with field materials.” Professor Hest once lost an entire skeleton, and I consider the matter closed.