Vinnie, You could use paraffin oil (also known as mineral oil). It is used successfully in museum techniques for the preservation of formalin fixed specimens. Rinse the formalin fixed specimen in water, place in ethanol (which will also bring back the colour), blot lightly and place in the oil. The oil has the added advantage that bile will not tend to leach out of the specimen. It also will not evaporate.
See: Henwood (2002)"Color preservation in pathology museum specimens" published in Biotech Histochem 2002 Jul; 77(4): 230. Regards Tony Henwood JP, MSc, BAppSc, GradDipSysAnalys, CT(ASC) Laboratory Manager & Senior Scientist Tel: 612 9845 3306 Fax: 612 9845 3318 the children's hospital at westmead Cnr Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145, AUSTRALIA -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Della Speranza, Vinnie Sent: Tuesday, 25 November 2008 9:37 AM To: histonet Subject: [Histonet] as Thanksgiving approaches, what do you think about a gall bladder in vinegar ? I have a patient requesting her gall bladder be returned to her for religious reasons. The premise I've been given is so that, upon death, the patient may be stored with her body parts. My facility has concerns about providing it to her in formalin (for obvious reasons) or alcohol. The patient admits this is a family practice with momma's appendix already being stored in the attic. It can get a bit toasty warm here in the South so attic storage of a specimen in alcohol may not be prudent and I can't be absolutely certain it wouldn't burn the house down, another potential liability for my institution. I'm tempted to give it to her in food grade vinegar, to avoid the potential liabilities from using anything that could be considered hazardous. Assuming that returning her gall bladder is a given, what do you think of using vinegar for this purpose? Vinnie Della Speranza Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services Medical University of South Carolina 165 Ashley Avenue Suite 309 Charleston, South Carolina 29425 Tel: (843) 792-6353 Fax: (843) 792-8974 _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet ********************************************************************* This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. Views expressed in this message and any attachments are those of the individual sender, and are not necessarily the views of The Children's Hospital at Westmead This note also confirms that this email message has been virus scanned and although no computer viruses were detected, The Childrens Hospital at Westmead accepts no liability for any consequential damage resulting from email containing computer viruses. ********************************************************************** _______________________________________________ Histonet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
