Brain disection- help please

[Labbie]

Rainbow sky, Only Moderator's have the delete button.

[Slartibartfast]

But if you have issues with something you may have typed or indeed someone else (I'm probably the most in the line of fire here), let Robb, Pommy or old Bartyfartmast here know and we'll do the rest. Easy!

[Ocean Breeze]

Sounds good. But for now I am ok. Thanks

[Narelle01]

Ok - stand back, I am about to soak some brains in metho and see how they go....

Out of centext that could sound like i am about to go on a bender.

[bindibadgi]

I get the brains frozen, put them in an icecream container full of 70% meths, & leave them in the fridge overnight.
The smell of the meths is a bit over-powering , so I take them out & rinse them 2 or 3 times in water, then drain on paper towel.

[Narelle01]

I just poured the metho neat over the semi frozen brains....the colour changed after about an hour.

I luurrrve the smell of metho !

[merilyn]

My teachers here suggested par-boiling brains to firm them up, just drop them into boiloing water for about two minutes. It doesn't smell as bad as you think it will!

The first time I did it, I took all the gear to the old prep room as I was expecting it to really smell bad and didn't want to have put up with the smell lingering around all day. The old prep room also has much better ventilation so I would be able to open a window to air it out. Problem was, the teacher in the lab next to this room came in to see what I was doing. Caught on the spot and being a rediculously honest person I told her why I was there - she was not happy that I had decided to "share" the odour of boiling brains with her!As it turned out, it didn't really smell that bad. Smells a whole lot better than the visit to than a visit to the abattoir!

[Ocean Breeze]

Thats a great idea merilyn.. next disection, I plan to boil some .
thanks

[smiley]

Smells a whole lot better than the visit to than a visit to the abattoir!

What?? Probably almost anything would smell better than a visit to the abattoir!

[merilyn]

The abattoir...mmm...I'll do anything to avoid going there. How I've managed to not see my breakfast again when I've got out of the car is beyond me! How pleased I was to find that I cannot buy lambs kidneys or brains from them and found out my local supermarket has a good supply of these and hearts at a reasonable price. Still visit the abattoir for eyes and plucks. Last year I stopped in to get a pluck, the secretary looked in their fridge (probably next to her lunch!) and found the eyes I'd ordered but no pluck. When she asked one of the other workers where it was they said, "Bob's just getting it now". Bob came up from the shed with it in a plastic bag, as it brushed past my leg I realised it was still warm! At least it was fresh, I suppose.

[Narelle01]

I like my bread warm from the bakery but not my plucks!!

I took a call at work the other day "Your brains and eyes are ready for pick up' I laughed out loud and said to the person, "could you please say where you are calling from in future, cause if that news got out i would be in a pickle"

[lizzieb]

Don't mind so much that the 'product' is still warm - although that often freaks the kids out...

It's the flies that hitch a ride back, and the smell that lingers in the car for days - yuk!

[RosalieM]

And remembering to put plastic down in the car to protect the carpet when the boxes spring a leak!

[linotas]

Can I ask why you all get frozen brains? I am assuming that is why they are so mushy, the defrost process. We get all out dissection offel fresh and we do not even have to go to the farm gate so to speak The owners live on the city and have a"school fridge" all set up in their garage that we pick up from.

[lizzieb]

Wow!

[Narelle01]

I get frozen as when i order, i order for 7 classes or more, and the dissections are spread over a 4 week period, as each year group, 1/2 the classes do 1 topic, while the other 1/2 do the other topic, then they swap.

I am not going to run to the supplier for every class, nor am i going to have fresh brains sitting in the fridge for up to 4 weeks (last year a class didn't even get to their brain dissection - they are the brains i tried the metho with)

Its all a time factor

[linotas]

Thanks Narelle. I can pick up on the way to work so its not really time sonsuming for me. Also 7 classes We have 3 plus an extended in any one year group. I can't imagine 7!!! How do you do it? We have a full time lab tech (I have a job share) and are employed for 52 weeks a year, not just term time.

[monso]

Should brains be soaked in meto or ethanol before dissection?how long for before use?
do you rinse in water after soaking?
I heard this process firms them for dissection
Is it necessary really?
PRAC TOMORROW!
thanx
Monso

[monso]

Just read previous posts i have my answer
soak 2 hours before prac
eth or meth
ta

[dime]

metho is cheaper of course. Probably 1 hour minimum for soaking. I think I just pat dry on paper towel.