-----Original Message-----
From: myron palay <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thursday, January 08, 1998 6:53 PM
Subject: Save the animal body
 
 
>There was quite a bit of mail about a month ago concerning the
>preservation of the soft parts of our friends.  In Germany at the moment
>there is an exhibition of human bodies which have been preserved in
>exact detail by Dr. Gunter Hagaan(sic), a physician.  His process
>replaces the water in tissue with polymer and preserves the exquisit
>detail.  His process is patented I assume.  He does whole adults so a
>snail should be no problem..Perhaps some of the conchers in Deutschland
>will investage. (Dr.) Myron Palay
>
There are several products on the market in the US which are water soluble
waxy like materials.  Scientific Supply catalogs perhaps call it "Carbowax."
People in the wood carving business frequently wish to work with green wood,
and not have it crack as it dries.  The material is a polyethylene carbonate
(PEG).  It can be bought from several chemical companies, including DuPont.
They even have a nice brochure on the how's and the why's.
 
I've used it with Lymnaea stagnalis, Planorbis cornuta, several Littorins,
and Thais lamellosa with success.  Should you decide to use PEG impregnated
snails to make slides, the biggest problem is a crop full of rocks!
 
Glad to talk more about this should anyone wish.
 
Fred Duerr