Stand back, I'm going to try SCIENCE!

In the process of working on my paper for Virginia Weygandt's course (HST 7650), I find myself yearning for a greater knowledge of chemistry and the chemical properties of objects. The situation reminds me of the popular, if not nerdy, webcomic XKCD's t-shirt (see below). Aside from making the research and writing of the paper much easier, I am begging to see how poorly some objects I have come into contact with in the past have been cared for. I am not sure if this stems from lack of knowledge or just a list of priorities that does not place the physical well-beings of objects.

What sparked part of my realization was this article on the BBC (sorted into the category of what else-- science!): Van Gogh's Flowers In A Blue Vase damage seen in X-rays. The premise of the article is pretty obvious from the description. Apparently the cadmium in the yellow paint Van Gogh used reacted with the protective varnished added much later to the painting, forming cadmium oxalate.
Here's the study mentioned in the article just in case anyone is interested. It explains the chemical reactions that took place in much greater detail. This reaction was a surprise find but it underlies a key worry. In our efforts to preserve things, does inadequate knowledge of the chemical properties of objects ultimately end up damaging them than the protective measures have preserved them? Do we now need to become chemists too?

Certainly there are companies that can be hired to do this sort of high-level work but the sheer expense of it is beyond smaller institutions and will certainly not be performed on virtually unknown artists. However, I feel this situation calls into question a lot of the issues with past preservation. As the speakers from the Air Force Museum said, they do deal with poor presentation methods that have damaged artifacts (the handwritten copy of the air force song for example). From the archives class yesterday we certainly learned the dangers of storing photos in the sticky-paged plastic binders. The Van Gogh was varnished not during the artist's lifetime but by a later holder of the work once it had gained value. There are types of varnish that do not react this way with cadmium-based paints but was it possible to determine this outcome beforehand?

I think one aspect that seems to be very neglected in public history and conservation training is why these things occur; being furnished with a material explanation alone is limiting because it is the knowledge of processes that is most applicable to challenging situations. Is this a reasonable expectation, though? One in the public history field already has to be a "jack of all trades," wearing numerous hats and balancing several different responsibilities at once, history, artifacts, interpretation, education, outreach, budgets. It is necessary for us to become chemists as well? Should those involved in conservation be actively involved in investigating  aspects of the objects in their charge to maximize their protection? Should we tell people to "Stand back!" as we attempt science or just leave that to people with the necessary college degree.
Or should we have to swallow our pride, accept that we cannot know everything or save everything... or alternatively cry over our budgets and hire a professional before this happens.