Letter of the Day: December 16

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1872

 

Mssrs Richard Kny & Co.,

17 Park Place,

New York.

 

Gentlemen:

 

Will you have the kindness to inform me at an early date of the prices at which you will furnish the following preparatioins:

 

Osteological Preparations, Catalogue III

p. 3. Skull disarticulated, mounted according to Beauchene, bones untied by polished metal strips, screw movement.

p. 3 Ear with two cuts, internal and median.

p. 15. Skull of monkey, mounted after Beauchene.

 

Biological Preparations, Catalogue No. V, pp. 20 and 21.

 

I.                    Dissected Preparations.

Mus decumanus

Columba sp.

Lacerta agilis.

Rana fortis.

Tinca vulgaris.

Bombyx mori.

Astacus fluviatilis.

Helix pomatis.

 

II.                  Injected preparations.

Mus decumanus.

Columba sp.

Lacerta agilis.

Rana fortis.

Tinca vulgaris.

Astacus fluviatilis.

Helix pomatis.

Hiruda medicinalis.

 

III.                Nerve Preparations.

Mus decumanus.

Columba sp.

Lacerta agilis.

Rana escuelenta.

Melolontha vugaris.

Hydrophilus piceus.

Astacus fluviatilis.

 

Very respectfully,

 

D.L. Huntington

Deputy Surgeon General, U.S. Army,

In charge of Mus. and Lib. Div.

 

Additional

Hiruda medicinalis, nerve prep.

Helix pomatis, “ “

 

 

Letter of the Day: March 17 (2 of 3, formalin reply)

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 1334

March 17, 1896

Mssrs Schering & Glatz,

55 Maiden Lane,

Gentlemen:

Your letter of the 16^th instant has been received. We have been using formalin in this Museum, and in the shape referred to in your letter, for more than two years, as a preservative and as a hardening agent for tissues, and have obtained admirable results from the same, and expect to continue its use. Upon inquiry I find that we have a sufficient quantity on hand to last for several months. When next we desire a supply you will receive an invitation to bid.

The Commissioner of Education, Interior Department, this city, can most probably furnish you with a list of Museums and educational institutions in the United States from which you could select such as you consider desirable.

Very respectfully,

Walter Reed

Surgeon, U.S. Army,

Curator

Letter of the Day: March 16

Over 110 years later, we’re still using formalin to preserve our specimens.

C. Gottlob Kolb.

Carl F. Steifel

Schering & Glatz

Importers of Drugs and Chemicals

No. 55 Maiden Lane

New York,

March 16, 1896

Major Walter Reed, Surgeon U.S. Army

Curator Army Medical Museum, Washington, D.C.

Dear Doctor:-

We desire to call your attention to FORMALIN, i.e. a saturated 40% solution of chemically pure Formaldehyde, which we have introduced to the medical profession during the last three years.

Presuming that you can use the fluid as a preservative of anatomical and botanical specimens as well as a hardening medium, we take pleasure in sending under separate cover our pamphlet on Schering’s Chemicals and would particularly refer you to an abstract of Prof. Dr. F. Hermann’s article on Page 42, from the “Anatomischer Anzeiger” Dec. 11/93 in which the author stated, that solutions of Formalin preserved the normal translucency of the living tissues and that tissues hardened in Formalin retained their natural colors. We also beg to enclose a copy of our latest circular on Formalin and would refer you to the abstract of the report of Prof. F. Cohn of Breslau, who speaks of the advantages of Formalin as compared with Alcohol, etc.

We quote Formalin in 1 lb. bottles at $.75 per lb. incl. less 10%

In 5 lb. bottles at $.70 per lb. incl. less 10%

In lots of 25 lbs or more, we will allow you a discount of 10% and 5%. If quantities of several hundred pounds are desired, we can make a further reduction.

We should be pleased to hear from you, and remain,

Yours very truly

Schering & Glatz

[Note:] Circular referred to not received for Doc. File – P.