How would someone in 1888 have "prasarved" a kidney?

[Mort Belfry]

If we are to believe the Lusk letter to be genuine, then what is the most likely method of preservation someone in the East End of London at that time would follow to keep a kidney for over two weeks?

Would this method be available to everyone? Would the killer have been able to preserve it in such a way that he could hide it from people he was living with? Was the kidney tested to see how it was preserved?

[RockySullivan]

According to casebook the kidney was preserve in wine. I imagine alcohol/spirits/wine would be easy for anyone to keep the kidney in.

[GUT]

If we are to believe the Lusk letter to be genuine, then what is the most likely method of preservation someone in the East End of London at that time would follow to keep a kidney for over two weeks?

Would this method be available to everyone? Would the killer have been able to preserve it in such a way that he could hide it from people he was living with? Was the kidney tested to see how it was preserved?

The 1/2 a kidne had been preserved in spirit of wine.

Basically a distilled wine, think Brandy.

Now how hard to you think that was to obtain in the East End.

[Errata]

The 1/2 a kidne had been preserved in spirit of wine.

Basically a distilled wine, think Brandy.

Now how hard to you think that was to obtain in the East End.

It didn't have to be obtained. You can do it on a stove if you're clever, but stills were also pretty common in the area. Spirit of Wine is pretty much straight up ethyl alcohol. So moonshine qualifies.

[GUT]

It didn't have to be obtained. You can do it on a stove if you're clever, but stills were also pretty common in the area. Spirit of Wine is pretty much straight up ethyl alcohol. So moonshine qualifies.

By obtain I didn't mean necessarily from someone else, as I understand the process you start with wine and distill it.

[Hunter]

It would not have been difficult to obtain commercially.

http://forum.casebook.org/showpost.php?p=302337&postcount=400

[Mort Belfry]

The 1/2 a kidne had been preserved in spirit of wine.

Basically a distilled wine, think Brandy.

Now how hard to you think that was to obtain in the East End.

Thanks for your help. Would that be something easily organised? Could you just plop it in a mug of brandy and forget about it, or is the process more involved? Would it be something easy to hide from people you lived with?

[Rosella]

What if he had his own workshop or butcher's shop in which to hide his souvenirs? Perhaps he was getting a bit bored after he'd fried it and eaten half (surely he wouldn't be sharing a kitchen) and so he decided to send the rest to Lusk.

[Gman992]

Formaldehyde, which was discovered in 1859 and used since 1868, has been used by hospitals and medical students to preserve organs since it was first discovered. The reasoning is that if the Lusk kidney was a medical prank, it would smell like that.

[GUT]

Thanks for your help. Would that be something easily organised? Could you just plop it in a mug of brandy and forget about it, or is the process more involved? Would it be something easy to hide from people you lived with?

As I understand it, a pretty basic "plop" would do the trick.

How hard to hide = how hard to hide a jar.

[Errata]

As I understand it, a pretty basic "plop" would do the trick.

How hard to hide = how hard to hide a jar.

Straight ethyl, or close to straight ethyl is pretty unstable. This is not stuff you want anywhere remotely close to an open flame or anywhere in a position to be contaminated. Or even really particularly heated.

There is likely a very good reason that kidney went missing, and that's because ethanol is bad preservative, but does not mix well with formaldehyde. Likely the kidney stayed in the ethanol until it rotted, and was never stored in formaldehyde because, well, there would be no point.

[Mort Belfry]

As I understand it, a pretty basic "plop" would do the trick.

How hard to hide = how hard to hide a jar.

Thank you