Mercury appears to have mostly stopped being used in the early 20th century, but arsenic was advocated for until at least the s. A study found that arsenic was the only known preservative that did not damage deer skin.
Because of the likelihood of the presence of arsenic or mercury in old taxidermy, it is important to take precautions when handling items, especially older ones. The WDM has a small number of taxidermy mammals and birds in our collection, and we have taken many precautions to ensure the safety of staff and visitors. An XRF machine uses non-destructive methods to analyze the elemental makeup of substances.
These machines can be used to identify substances like mercury and lead. In addition to taxidermy, objects such as face powders and boxes were tested. One face powder compact from the s was found to have lead in it, as did the ink on a cardboard box that held face powder. Those that tested positive have been tightly sealed in plastic and clearly labeled as dangerous for human contact. Items too big to be fully encased in plastic feature clear, colourful labels warning against touching and are kept away from the public in our Corporate Office.
All taxidermy on display in the four WDM locations is completely safe, either sealed away in plexiglass cases or otherwise kept well out of reach of visitors.
What is Arsenic? Arsenic is a natural semi-metallic compound. Small amounts can be found in drinking water, rocks, and soil. It can be organic and inorganic. Inorganic arsenic is more dangerous than organic as it is more likely to react with the cell in your body, displacing certain parts of the cell, and leading to arsenic poisoning.
Arsenic Photo Credit Arsenic in Taxidermy Arsenic was used in taxidermy since the 5th Century BC where they placed it in the underside of the animal skin to help preserve it and protect it from insects. Then, around the 18th Century 's taxidermists began mixing the arsenic with things like aloe, alum, and cinnamon to make it smell better. In the Victorian era, arsenic was everywhere. I found this advertisement and couldn't resist using it. Please note, there is no familial relation.
Couldn't resist using this! Health and Home, Arsenic in taxidermy is often, but not always, referring to a preservative arsenical soap. This soap was invented by Jean-Baptiste Be'coeur, born and died The ingredients of the soap were not made public until So what are the ingredients? Be'coeur played an important role in the history of taxidermy and his arsenic-based soap was used in museums all over the world until the s.
Figures from this paper. Citation Type. Has PDF. Publication Type. More Filters. Utility of arsenic-treated bird skins for DNA extraction. Highly Influenced. View 3 excerpts, cites background. Assessment of museum staff exposure to arsenic while handling contaminated exhibits by urinalysis of arsenic species.
A review on exposure and effects of arsenic in passerine birds. View 1 excerpt, cites background. Monitoring of lead, arsenic and mercury in the indoor air and settled dust in the Natural History Museum of Rouen France.
Abstract For more than years, mercury and arsenic have been used for the preservation of natural history collections.
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