Poisoned spears

I am a Preservation and Conservation Student at the University of
Texas and I work at the Harry Ransom Center. Here at the HRC, we
have a collection of sixteen spears from the Fiji Islands that may
have poisoned tips. The spears were brought to the US around
1942-43. I am looking for information regarding handling protocols,
storage ideas, and nondestructive testing for toxins. Since most
things that are toxic to humans are alkaloids and since wood (and
any traces of blood) would have an acid pH, could a pH test be a
simple, if crude, first step in testing for toxins? Any help would
be appreciated.

Ann Lindsey
The Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Box 7219
Austin, Texas 78713-7219
512-232-1859


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 13:62
                  Distributed: Wednesday, June 7, 2000
                       Message Id: cdl-13-62-006
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