No man should marry until he has studied anatomy and dissected at least one woman.
– Honoré de Balzac, Physiologie du Mariage 1829
Category: The Squeal
The Squeal from Miss Vivi – November 2010
Well hello!
I hope that Term 4 has been treating you kindly and you’re looking forward to a well deserved break over Christmas.
We just wanted to let you know that Miss Vivi and Mr Vivi are off to meet the the labbies of NSW and Victoria at their tech conferences, so Dissection Connection will be closed from 25 November to 5 December. We won’t be available to despatch any deliveries, but we will be available by phone or email so don’t be shy about getting in touch.
We’re really looking forward to meeting some interstate labbies and helping them out with their offal problems next year. If you know someone interstate that is having trouble sourcing worthwhile specimens for dissection then please let them know about us.
Have you considered pre-ordering your specimens for Term 1 next year? If you pre-order you’ll be at the head of the queue and we’ll be able to guarantee your specimens will be delivered when you want them with absolutely nothing to pay until 30 days after you receive them.
Thank you again for your tremendous support and kindness to us this year. We had a few teething problems in the very beginning and you were very understanding and patient while we sorted ourselves out. I hope that we have made your life a bit easier this year. I’ve been asked to track down some unusual things and it’s been great fun.
Have a wonderful break over the holidays, stay safe and we’ll see you next year.
Nov 17, 2010
Look out NSW
Look out NSW, here we come!
This week we’ve sent out some postcards to introduce ourselves to schools in NSW and Victoria. As always, if there is anything you would like to know or anything we can help you with then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Miss Vivi likes a challenge!
Miss Vivi and Mr Vivi will be at the SASS Science Conference at Graystanes High School on November 25 and 26. If you’re going to be there, too, then please come and say Hello. I promise there will be lollies for you.
We’ve been asked to donate a lucky door prize. I was tempted to donate a ‘meat tray’ because everyone loves to win a meat try, but I’m not sure if even the most dedicated lab technician would be thrilled with going home with a tray of specimens. So, thinking caps on for a great idea for a prize.
I’m also hoping to be at LabCON this year, so if you’re in Victoria and you want to meet us please let us know to look out for you. There will be lollies for you, too 🙂
Oct 21, 2010
Do you do rats?
If I had a testis for every time I got a phone call or an email asking if I can supply rats we’d never be out of stock.
Raising and euthanasing whole animals has never been my thing and thinking about all the paperwork involved with licenses and permits and animal ethics approvals just about puts me into a bureaucratic coma.
Consequently the short answer is – “No, we’ don’t supply rats, sorry.” Miss Vivi is, however, very happy to recommend Southern Biological in Victoria and Pisces Enterprises in Brisbane as suppliers of rats for dissection. They both come highly recommended by lab technicians we personally know and love – and trust to know where to go for the good stuff.
Another question I get asked is “Do you know where to get toads?” and invariably my reply is “Do you know any 13 year old boys?”
A little bird tells me, though, that the demand for rats for science in Australia is so great that everyone is having trouble getting enough. So there is a lovely little niche sitting there just waiting to be filled by someone who is willing to have a go at it. Sounds like a job for a labbie to me.
UPDATE MAR 2014: We now supply cane toads ethically euthanased via CO2 asphyxiation in accordance with the latest method endorsed by Biosecurity Queensland. Dissection Connection no longer endorses the use of rats or mice sourced from the pet food industry as no ethical or health standards are applied to the practices of the breeders or suppliers.
