Taxidermy

Taxidermy (Greek for design of the skin ) is an art of preserving animal bodies to study, teaching or decorative purposes. The taxidermy is done on vertebrate animals. It is thus a branch of taxidermy.

Development

In the 1770s, the pharmacist Jean -Baptiste Bocoeur developed an arsenic- containing preservatives, with the larger animal skins were preserved, was his invention but not cheap. In 1820, the average of the French zoologist and taxidermist Louis Dufresne ( 1752-1832 ) was placed on the market. Since the mid 19th century carcasses in the preparation no longer stuffed like a pillow, but positioned according to their anatomy and natural position. The tanned skin with feathers / hair is applied to a correctly -built body since that time. To establish this, it requires extensive knowledge of anatomy, ethology and statics. In addition, good taxidermists are always artists who can work on sculptures were just as successful. Quite a few taxidermists / Dermoplastiker have become famous in particular through their art sculptures of animals ( Akeley, ter Meer ).

The majority of today preserved in scientific collections preparations of birds and small mammals, however, abolished as a bellows, that is, as a stuffed skin with feathers or hair. Such bellows have against mounted specimens for scientific work advantages: they are inexpensive, be or have already been largely completed at the collection site ( and labeled! ), And they can be lifted in a space-saving dust-and light-tight drawers. The storage in drawers facilitate the screening of large series without having to evacuate around as mounted specimens in cabinets and display cases. The color of the fur or plumage is just as easy to assess as in mounted specimens, and measured values ​​are often easier to take. Base and posture at dermoplastics often impede access to important parts of the body. Larger mammals are often collected for scientific purposes as fur, it also saves a lot of space. In the preparation as a bellows or fur addition eliminates the scientific neutrality disturbing interpretation of the " natural" posture by the Dermoplastiker.

Method

In connection with the preparation of vertebrates to showpieces is spoken by dermoplastics since Philipp Leopold Martin (Greek derma = skin, plastein = form ). Among the first Dermoplastikern count next to Martin Friedrich Kerz (Stuttgart, Darmstadt, 1842-1915 ), Hermanus H. ter Meer (Leiden, Leipzig, 1871-1934 ), Carl E. Akeley ( Chicago, New York, 1864-1926 ), Karl Küsthardt (Darmstadt, 1865-1949 ), Joseph Burger ( Wiesbaden, 1875-1956 ). The preservation of the animal skin is usually done by tanning or by the fixation.

In the Anglo-American world, the term is used instead of Taxidermist Taxidermy, although there is not only vertebrates to be prepared. Basically, the main body, as in sculpture, constructed by addition of a material ( eg, clay ) or machined from a block (eg PU block ). In a further step, this body will have a negative mold in a lighter material are again decanted. Particularly important has proven over time that this body should not be too hard. The applied skin is of organic origin and is sensitive to climate changes by resizing. If the base body too hard (eg, gypsum ), pulls the tanned skin with repeated expansion. Such damages are difficult to restore and therefore such mounted specimens should be housed in air conditioned rooms. In particular, the mounted specimens of large mammals produced by Friedrich Kerz have been preserved in a very good state, since it mainly produced the main body of sewed straw that remains flexibly.

Mounted specimens, however, are also at risk for other reasons. In connection with the so-called acid tawing is still being used until today in conjunction with alum acids. For non - sufficient neutralization of acids, collagen may hydrolyze in leather, similar threatens the acid decay in the paper, the libraries. Furs are subject after the alum treatment this process, which can decompose the skin after a few years. In addition, residues of biological fats can become rancid and cause long term for fat feeding. The binding of moisture and sulfur dioxide can lead you through the creation of sulfurous acid to the red decay. In addition, the larvae of the clothes moth and various types of skin beetles ( Common fur beetles, brown fur beetles ) can cause feeding damage. In humid storage various molds and bacteria can lead to decomposition.

In general the whole body dissection proceeds similarly for each animal ( in part preparations, the following method is adapted to the corresponding part of the body ). First, the skin on the bottom of the animal is opened and taken off with a cut; Limbs remain up to a certain point on the bellows, which must now be tanned. After stripping is important to note that all the fat and muscle residues must be removed from the inside of the skin, as they can become rancid later fur or feathers or dirty. Besides the production of an artificial body of a block there is also the possibility to create the body of a previously adjusted wire frame, which is wrapped tightly with yarn until it matches the original dimensions of the animal to be prepared.

There is both the opportunity to give the product a customized commercially available artificial skull, as well as to prepare the original skull and also this then inserted into the preparation. Now the bellows the limbs or wings on the finished synthetic body are raised ( the flayed skin with hair or feathers ), fixed with a wire, the natural appearance of the animal corresponding glass or plastic eyes with the help of clay or plasticine used in the skull and the bellows then sutured.

For preservation insecticides used

When Taxidermy in the 19th and 20th centuries many different insecticides were used for the preservation of animal specimens. Very often arsenic ( compounds, arsenic ), Paradichlorobenzene, carbon tetrachloride, lindane and cyanide were ( potassium cyanide ) used for this purpose. Were used also for the preservation of carbon disulfide, naphthalene, PCP, DDT, DDVP, mercury, ammonia, borax (sodium biboraciccum ) and formaldehyde. It usually very high concentrations of these toxins were applied to the specimens of animals:

" Arsenic ( arsenic trioxide) is the most common remedy for insect pest damage ( moth caterpillars, bacon, fur and museum beetles). Formerly it was customary to dissolve 40g of pure arsenic in 100g lukewarm water. This toxic mixture was painted on the back of the coat or on the flesh side of the bird skin. "

There is evidence for the use of such poisons in many books of taxidermists from between 1868 to 1996. However, the used substances at this time presented serious health risks for humans, so who came in contact with them. However, this was not discovered until decades later and now represents a major problem for modern taxidermy, because they often come in contact with such contaminated products.

Trivia

In the novel, Beatrice and Virgil. ( German: . A shirt of the 20th century ) by Yann Martel plays a Taxidermist an important role. The taxidermy is described in detail.