Letter of the Day: April 25

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 00611

The Warren Anatomical Museum
Boston, Apr. 25, 1895

Maj. Walter Reed:
Surg. U.S. Army:
Curator of the Army Med. Mus.

My dear Sir:

The fine photographs of the skull with osteitis deformans have been received, and will you please accept my thanks for them for the Museum. The process is evidently the same as in the skull in our collection, whatever designation may be given to it. And certainly they are both extremely interesting specimens.

I have also to thank you for calling my attention to formaline as hardening agent, and am using it very extensively. It certainly preserves the color relations of the specimens and their general shape better than alcohol.

I have hardened the specimens in toto in formalin (5%) from 24 hours to several weeks, then then cut the specimens, washed with water and preserved them permanently in 80% alcohol, as from it's higher index it gives a rather more brilliant medium in the jars. In this way have been obtained some beautiful sections of cancer of the liver, tubercular glands, large carbuncles of the neck, tumors, &c.

I use it also entirely for hardening for histological examination in practically the same way, and find that it give fine preparations when stained quite deeply with haemotoxylon (Delafield's) 1/2 hour and afterwards with {new]? Guisen's piczo-fuchsin counter stain- (150 c.c. jot. vol. acid piczo, 3 cc sah. vol acid fuchsin) 3 to 5 minutes.

Hoping that you will always bear me in mind if anything new of value comes up in the way of preserving specimens. I remain

Yours very very truly
W.F. Whitney
Curator

Letter of the Day: March 17

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 01334

March 17, 1896

Messrs Schering & Glatz,
55 Maiden Lane,

Gentlemen:

Your letter of the 16th instant has been received. We have been using formalin at 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 the 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 would select such as you consider desirable.

Very respectfully,

Walter Reed,
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator.

Letter of the Day: March 16

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 01334

C. Gottlob Kolb
Carl F. Stiefel

Schering & Glatz,
Importers of Drugs & 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:-

Being desirous to bring into more general use Formalin as a preserving agent of anatomical and historical specimens, etc. we intend to submit offers, similar to the enclosed to Museums of Natural History, etc.-

We would be under great obligations to you if you could furnich [sic] us with the addresses of some museums and institutions in the United States, who likely have use for the article.

Any expense connected therewith will be cheerfully refunded by

Yours very truly,
Schering & Glatz

Enclosure:
Stamped envelope

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.