Paging Houghmade, your services are needed

[Spear Dane]

When I read that my first and really only question was how/why would a hospital even have that stuff?

 

[HoughMade]

To preserve cadavers?

 

[hoosierdoc]

To preserve cadavers?

Many surgical specimens are placed in formalin and sent to lab

 

[MarkC]

How much formalin would it have taken to cause this? Is it one of those substances where a little goes a long way?

A long time ago, in a State Department of Toxicology class, I was taught that methanol metabolizes to formaldehyde and formic acid, and that the small amount of metabolite was enough to cause blindness. But that was a long time ago, and my memory isn't what it once was.

 

[hoosierdoc]

True. That’s why you can’t use freeze distillation to make liquor. Doesn’t boil off the toxic alcohols

Not sure how much It would’ve taken

 

[MarkC]

True. That’s why you can’t use freeze distillation to make liquor. Doesn’t boil off the toxic alcohols

Not sure how much It would’ve taken

Now I've learned something new today! a) don't use freeze distillation when making my homemade hooch, and b) don't get procedures in hospitals where they keep the formalin near the saline, or anything in socialized medicine, if I can help it.

 

[hoosierdoc]

https://mobile.nytimes.com/1985/03/10/us/one-death-many-questions-in-miami.html

happened here too, long ago before labeling requirements

apparently this Russia case, after laparoscopic surgery to remove a cyst they rinsed her abdomen with formalin instead of saline. Was not an IV drip. Burned her organs. Hey did do dialysis on her but she died a few days later