Abstract
Many soft bodied invertebrates contract or retract into shells upon touch stimulation. Since preparation of specimens for SEM observation requires considerable handling as well as exposure to irritating chemicals, the resulting contractions conceal many surface features that are usually seen under normal conditions. To overcome contraction during fixations (1) or surgery (2), several species of snails have been anesthetized with varying degrees of success. Several anesthetics were tested for their efficacy in relaxing soft animals for fixations and subsequent preparations for SEM observations.From an extensive list of relaxant drugs, six anesthetics were derived for final testing based on their initial ability to anesthetize four species of contractile invertebrates in an extended condition. The following mixtures of nembutal (sodium barbital), menthol crystals, and curare (dissolved in 80% ethanol) were used: 1) nembutal, 2) menthol, 3)curare, 4)nembutal followed by menthol, 5) nembutal followed by curare, and 6) menthol followed by curare. All animals tested feed and move under fully submerged conditions.
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Schedule a callMore From: Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America
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