This is for those who would like something whose odor befits its work.

I think Gayle Callis' BIZ might be better, but Gee Whiz folks, we're talking
about Gross Anatomy here!  These are procedures that one used to be forced
to carry out on the roof, or out in an open field, away from civilized folk.
So, I thought I would contribute a recipe from an old, VERY reputable,
source.

"Liquid Soap". Reighard and Jennings, "Anatomy of the Cat" [Oops! Sorry
kitty!], 1935, Holt Reinhart

Soft water		2000ml ("Soft" is not a scientific term!)
Strong ammonia	150ml  (for glazed eyes, opaque NICtitating membranes and,
of course, alkalinity)
KNO3			12g (for suppression of something? John and
Abigail?)
Hard soap (brown)	75g  (We used to save the shavings of the brown soap
used in the local Cub Scout carving tutorials.  We liked the brown soap,
because it WAS harder than Ivory!  This soap is still available in a double
bar with attractive white wrapping with pink printing.  You can't tell a
soap by its cover!) 

Heat the mixture to boiling until homogeneous.
Immerse the bone and boil for 40 min
Pour off the liquid and renew it.
Boil another 30min or until the soft parts come away easily.
[Boil too long and the epiphyses will separate.]
The bone can be rinsed in water.
The bone can be defatted, after drying, in bnenzene/zylene.   

Cheers (it almost feels like Friday),

Fred Monson

Frederick C. Monson, PhD
Center for Advanced Scientific Imaging
Mail to Geology
West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Schmucker II Science Center, Room SS024
South Church Street and Rosedale Avenue
West Chester, PA, 19383
Phone:  610-738-0437
eMail:  fmonson@wcupa.edu


-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Merriam [mailto:kmerriam@tktx.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 12:30 PM
To: Histonet
Subject: Dissolving skeletal muscle from bone


Hi all,

Does anyone know what solution to use to dissolve skeletal
muscle off of bone, so that the bone remains in tact.  This
is not for a histology study, but I thought that someone out
there on the histonet would know how to do this!

Thanks in advance,
Kim Merriam
TKT
Cambridge, MA