page_title: Byne's disease
section_title: Appearance
hierarchical_section_title: Byne's disease / Appearance
caption_attribution_description: English: Effects of acidic vapors on mollusk shells. The efflorecence is clearly visible in both specimens. To the right, an affected shell of Olivancillaria urceus (marine snail); To the left an affected shell of Corbicula fluminea (freshwater bivalve). Both were exposed to an excessively humid and acidic medium (acetic acid) for some weeks.
context_page_description: Byne's disease, more accurately known as Bynesian decay, is a peculiar and permanently damaging condition which often attacks mollusk shells and other calcareous specimens that are in storage or on display for long periods of time. It is a form of efflorescence of salts formed by the reaction of acidic vapors with the basic calcareous surface. The efflorescence can sometimes superficially resemble a growth of mold. Although first described in the early 19th century, Bynesian decay was not well understood until almost a hundred years later. The condition is named after the man who is best known for describing it in the late 19th century, even though he was not the first person to describe it in print. In addition, Byne mistakenly assumed that the condition was caused by bacteria, and thus the condition came to be referred to as a "disease".
  In addition to mollusk shells, various other natural history specimens are susceptible to this form of decay, including eggshells and some fossils and mineral samples that are composed of calcium carbonate. This condition is of concern for museum scientists, and also for anyone who has a private collection of specimens of these kinds.
context_section_description: Byne's disease can appear as a powdery white coating on a shell or other calcareous specimen. It also often looks as if the specimen has been "infected" with mold; however, under magnification the mold-like appearance is revealed to be a crystalline growth of salts..
caption: Some affected mollusk shells. The efflorescence is clearly visible in both specimens. This decay was deliberately produced under extreme conditions.
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