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INJECTED SPECIMEN OF 'CAT MEDULLA' (actually cervical spinal cord):

c. 1860'S

PREPARED BY PROFESSOR KARL THIERSCH, AS SOLD BY SMITH AND BECK

DESCRIPTION HISTORY

CAT MEDULLA SLIDE

DESCRIPTION

cat medulla This is an example of a injected specimen slide as marketed by Smith & Beck in the 1860's. The slide is larger than standard and with the typical smaller sized coverslip. It also has the typical pale blue label. A former owner, or perhaps the seller, apparently tried to further decorate the slide with a round design around the original plain square coverslip, but most of this has since fallen away leaving the original coverslip and mount intact. The fine quality injection beautifully illustrates the blood supply to the cervical spinal cord (not the medulla) of the cat; if the mounter made many serial sections starting in the medulla, he could have inadvertently proceded right down to the cervical spinal cord; alternatively, it could have been mislabeled by the retailer. The beauty of the DIC images in part attests to the maker's skill. The bottom right image shows the adjacent lumens of a small artery and vein, the latter not injected. views of injected cat medulla slide

HISTORY

 

The maker was Professor Karl Thiersch of Leipzig, Germany who was a professor of surgery. His technique of skin grafting is still used today. In his work on cancer and other diseases, he became quite expert at preparing injected specimens for study. He used these skills to produce his slides for Smith and Beck. Smith and Beck marketed these slides in England and they received high praise in the publications of the time*. For more on Dr Thiersch see here and also the article in the Journal of the Quekett Microscopical Society: *------------------------