<div dir="ltr">Dear Karen:<div><br></div><div>Thank you for that interesting blast from the past. I am sending it on to botanists who often handle some really old herbarium sheets. Wash your hands! You realize , of course, that mercury poisoning in millinery is probably the origin of the phrase "Mad as a Hatter." It comes from the even older treatment of beaver skins (destined to become hats) with mercury. I understand that the molecules were small enough to pass through the filter of the epidermis and the poisoning later manifested itself as crazed behavior in hatters. I wonder if early entomologists used some sort of mercury compound on pinned collections so I will send this on to entomological colleagues dealing with 19th century specimens?</div><div><br></div><div>Peter<br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Karen Wilson</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Karen.Wilson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au">Karen.Wilson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au</a>></span><br>Date: Sun, Dec 6, 2015 at 4:53 PM<br>Subject: preventing insect attack in 19th century<br>To: "<a href="mailto:PlantDiversitySection@environment.nsw.gov.au">PlantDiversitySection@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>" <<a href="mailto:PlantDiversitySection@environment.nsw.gov.au">PlantDiversitySection@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>>, "<a href="mailto:Collections@environment.nsw.gov.au">Collections@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>" <<a href="mailto:Collections@environment.nsw.gov.au">Collections@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>>, Bob Makinson <<a href="mailto:Bob.Makinson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au">Bob.Makinson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au</a>>, "<a href="mailto:HonoraryAssociates@environment.nsw.gov.au">HonoraryAssociates@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>" <<a href="mailto:HonoraryAssociates@environment.nsw.gov.au">HonoraryAssociates@environment.nsw.gov.au</a>><br><br><br>
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<div>This letter printed in the Annals of Botany vol 2 (1806) indicates why anyone handling old specimens should be careful to wash their hands afterwards:</div>
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<div> There is more detail on the following page (but nothing about possible danger to humans!). Email me if you’d like to read that, too.</div>
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<div>Karen</div>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt"><b>Karen L. Wilson AM</b></span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">Senior Research Scientist</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">National Herbarium of New South Wales</span></font></div>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">Adjunct Associate Professor, University of New England, Armidale, NSW <font size="2"><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span></font></span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">Secretary, General Committee, International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi & Plants<font size="2"><span style="font-size:11pt"> </span></font></span></font></div>
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<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands</span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt"><b>T</b> <a href="tel:%2B61%20%2802%29%209231%208137" value="+61292318137" target="_blank">+61 (02) 9231 8137</a> | <b>E</b> <a href="mailto:karen.wilson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au" target="_blank"><u>karen.wilson@rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au</u></a></span></font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="2"><span style="font-size:10pt">Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia</span></font></div>
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