* * * * * Collection of Disinfected Mail When I first saw the link for the World's Largest Collection of Disinfected Mail, I first thought it had something to do with the current Anthrax-laced mail floating around the States, but no: > Fear of the mail is nothing new, as the Pearson Museum's disinfected mail > exhibit illustrates. The museum contains the world's largest collection of > disinfected mail, accumulated by the late Emmet F. Pearson. Barbara Mason, > curator of the museum, filled us in on failed attempts through history to > sterilize filthy missives from infectious letter writers. We were more > attentive to her leeches, bloodletting display and the mercury-preserved > human hand [1] at the time. But given the current public curiosity about > separating junk mail from Jihad germs, we returned to our notes. > Emmet F. Pearson Collection of Disinfected Mail [2] Now, how did I come across this facinating piece of history? Well, the site I linked to in my last entry [3] is a list of Florida's Lost Tourist Attractions [4]. Which lead to Xanadu: Home of the Future [5] and a quick Google search [6] took me to The Last Xanadu [7] at Roadside America [8] where I found the afore mentioned link to disinfecting mail. Forget Disney, [9] these lost treasures of an America gone by are way cooler. And a reminder that there still is nothing new under the sun. Even disinfecting mail. [1] http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/ILSPRleech.html [2] http://www.roadsideamerica.com/sight.html [3] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2001/10/30.3 [4] http://www.lostparks.com/ [5] http://www.lostparks.com/xanadu.html [6] http://www.google.com/search?q=Xanadu%3A+Home+of+the+Future&btnG=Google+Search [7] http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/xanadu.html [8] http://www.roadsideamerica.com/ [9] http://www.disney.com/ Email author at sean@conman.org .