We used to simmer vertebrae in sodium hydroxide for a couple of days.  My
museum notebook says that we used N/10 or N/100 depending on the specimen.
Culling recomends N/100 so that would be safer.  The process fills the lab
with a rather disconcerting but not unpleasant soupy smell that might leave
you with some explaining to do.

Andy Shand

-----Original Message-----
From: Kim Merriam [mailto:kmerriam@tktx.com]
Sent: 10 December 2002 17:30
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