TEMPORARY STORAGE. 125 



so far as concerns man and other Vertebrates, but less so with the Invertebrates, at 

 least as reported by Prof. A. E. Verrill in a letter to Dr. Keen. 



Dr. Keen has published two papers upon the subject (1 and 2), and kindly permits us 

 to print the following brief statement of his experience up to November 1, 1881 : 



" As to the strength of the solution, I should use 20-30 grains to the ounce of water. 

 [This is 4-6 per cent., or in the proportion of 1 gram of chloral to 24-16 cc. of water.] 

 For the Invertebrates and for vegetable tissues, my own experience, though limited, is 

 favorable. It preserves vertebrate organs, excepting the brain, for a few years at least. 

 I have had no failure, and some of my specimens are now nine years old. The colors are 

 rather less affected than by alcohol. The jars do not need to be hermetically sealed, hence 

 the specimens are always accessible. The specimens are also less apt to dry when exposed. 

 The cost of the solution is much less than that of alcohol on which the tax is paid. For 

 the preservation of human subjects for dissection, it is most excellent, excepting that 

 it will not keep them very long in hot weather, and is not well adapted for keeping them 

 over the summer. For use in cool and cold weather, and especially for the dissection of 

 nerves, it holds its own." 



The foregoing statements from so distinguished an anatomist certainly warrant a care- 

 ful trial of chloral ; our own experience is as yet too limited for the publication of the 

 results. 



303. Brine. A saturated solution of rock or dairy salt is sometimes used alone for 

 the temporary preservation of anatomical material ; it-is said to be more efficacious when 

 the specimen is previously injected with a saturated solution of arseniate of soda. In one 

 of the leading medical schools of this country this plan is successfully and economically 

 followed for keeping human subjects even through the summer months. 



303. Exhibition and Storage of Alcoholic Specimens. As 



was stated in '262, while alcohol is a perfectly efficient preservative 

 so far as concerns all vertebrates, its cost, volatility, and corrosive 

 action necessitate certain measures which may be conveniently dis- 

 cussed in connection with the general subject of the storage and 

 exhibition of specimens. 



304. Temporary Storage. For this purpose, and for brief 

 transportation, alcoholic specimens may be placed in vessels made 

 of wood or earthenware or any kind of metal ; but vessels so em- 

 ployed should be carefully examined as often as once a month, so 

 as to guard against evaporation, leakage, or rusting. 



Leakage or evaporation are readily detected from the diminution of alcohol or the 

 dampness of the bottom of the vessel or of the' floor, but rusting may not be apparent until 

 loss or damage has occurred. When alcoholic specimens are kept in tin ware, the metal 

 is certain, sooner or later, to be corroded at some point of contact with a specimen. A 

 mass of rust is formed which may prevent the escape of the alcohol so long as the speci- 

 mens are undisturbed. But this rust is liable to be dislodged by any movement, or even 

 by a blow upon the side of the vessel, and thus permit the escape of the alcohol. 



305. Leakage from Imperfect Glass Vessels. Small jars and vials sometimes have 

 small holes or cracks which escape notice at the time of filling, but which permit the loss 

 of alcohol and the damage of the contents. In some cases, part of the bottom of a small 

 jar may be so thin that it is pulled off by simply adhering to the paint of a shelf. 



