From sci.chem Tue Dec 10 17:15:21 1996
From: @sparky.midwest.net
Subject: Re: Lab Accidents
NNTP-Posting-Host: 205.242.25.29

>  He also passed it on to me before I took chemistry, and I've always had a
>very healthy respect for glass tubing and glass rods.
>        Eric Lucas

Reminds me: I once needed a very long narrow pipette and didn't have a 
commercial version handy so I used a piece of glass tubing and a bunsen 
burner to draw out two very nice ones - separated by a long hair-thin 
(probably much thinner actually) capillary, As I started to set the 
assembly down I fumbled it and reflexively grabbed the pieces out of the 
air before they shattered all over the floor.

Interestingly, when I held held up a finger afterward, there was a 
hair-fine capillary about 5 cm long passing completely through it, in 
one side, out the other. One of the lab techs who was nearby was so 
impressed he nearly fainted. I carefully pulled the capillary out - 
didn't feel a thing and there was no blood at all.

I suppose I was lucky it didn't hit the bone. A capillary that fine all 
you have to do is touch it....