Put a Lid on it!

In this post, our Human Remains Conservator takes a look at some of the history behind our specimen jars. My husband likes to tell people that I am not very good with lids. Jam jars defeat me. I have to ask for help with childproof caps. Cosmetics frequently leak when I travel. The irony of…

A Few Words About Formaldehyde

Our Human Remains Conservator Cat Irving discusses the misconceptions behind the use of formaldehyde and explains why you won’t see much of it in our Collections. Peter Carey’s novel Jack Maggs is set in London in 1837. A Charles Dickens-esque character called Tobias Oates goes into a shop in Whitechapel where he buys what is…