>Speaking as someone who has worked exclusively in art museums, could
>someone please explain *why* such a colony would be established in the
>first place?  Thanks and Merry Christmas!
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Anne Fuhrman Douglas                         email: [log in to unmask]
>Registrar                                    phone: 919-966-5736

Dermestid colonies are maintained by natural history labs because they are
very effective in removing flesh and tissue from skeletal material.  Mammal
skeletons are valuable in various areas of mammalian research and teaching.
Museums which have natural history research components often maintain
dermestid colonies under strictly controlled conditions.  To some it might
seem a scary thought, but when controlled properly, dermestid colonies can
be a benefit to a mammalian research program without compromising the
museum's obligation to the welfare of its collections.

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Henry B. Crawford                                       v
Curator of History                                       v
Museum of Texas Tech University               v
Box 43191                                                   v
Lubbock, TX  79409-3191                         v
806/742-2442                                          v
FAX 742-1136                                            v
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All opinions expressed are mine                   v
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