I bought a specimen set last fall. Shelby is studying Biology, and we thought a "lab" in dissection would be interesting. You can buy lots of different creatures, preserved in formaldehyde and then sealed in plastic. They are cheaper if you buy a set, instead of purchasing individual specimens. It makes sense, too, because a well rounded dissection study would include multiple classes of creatures. The set we picked out had around 10 specimens, and included a worm, a clam, a frog, a small fish, and a fetal pig. We were most excited about the pig, although we took a good look at the sample pig photo online to make sure we wouldn't be too squeamish to handle it when the time came.
We were a little disappointed when the specimens came. The bag was quite small for so many specimens, and while the plastic was clear, there was an opaque layer between the specimens and the plastic, so we could only prod the bag lightly and try to envision the contents. Opening the bag was out of the question, because we were in the middle of other projects we needed to finish before moving on to dissection.
The instructions said the specimens would keep up to a year in their plastic packaging, and even longer if frozen, so I didn't worry too much about not being able to get to it right away. Then life got busy, and we got sidetracked, and the dissections never happened.
The other day I realized we finally have the time to work on the dissections, and went to find the specimens, but they weren't there. They sat on the floor of my office for 6 months, until one day I started thinking I should find a better place to keep them.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what better place I decided upon. All logical guesses have been dead ends. I've searched my office, cleaned both freezers and my closet, still no pig. Where in the world would I have decided was a good place to keep specimens? Because while I clearly remember thinking about moving them---on several occasions---I simply cannot remember actually doing anything with them!
I can always order a new set. They weren't that expensive. But I hate the thought of coming across the old set later, when I'm not expecting it. So much for my organizational skills.
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3 comments:
I LOVED the disection parts of biology! I took a lot of biology I did, lets see, worm, grassgopper, perch, pig, frog, LIVE frog, cat, mink, Hmmm that's all I can recall off the top of my head. We named most of them and I got to do most of the actual dissection because most normal people weren't really as into it.
The cat was probably the coolest. But that was in college. His name was Felix. :)
Oh, how funny. I lose things all the time by trying to "get organized". It's maddening. Still,I cant say I have ever lost a formaldehyde soaked pig. Any chance the dog buried it?
Elane
When I was in school, dissection was one of the things that made me think I hated science. Probably the main thing.
Still, different strokes for different folks! Hope the piglet turns up soon.
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