I love this type of thing! In today's age of digital impermanence, to think simple birch bark can preserve a message from so long ago. But one thing that stood

I love this type of thing! In today's age of digital impermanence, to think simple birch bark can preserve a message from so long ago. But one thing that stood out from the beginning of the article and wasn't satisfactorily addressed was the fact that breathing on such a fragile object could wreck the entire operation...why didn't they just wear surgical masks? I mean, they went through all the trouble of pre-humidifying the scroll, laying special little glass paper-weights and even spraying each bit when necessary. But a single unexpected cough or sneeze could have made everyone have a very bad day!