I'm not sure what extracting the dye has to do with Dosh, (I don't know the melachos very well) but it seems that in the days of the gemara they would extract the whole inside of the snail, which is approximately the size of a dried fig. Does that solve the problem at all?

<p>R' Levi, the simple meaning of the gemarah is that the removal of the blood is mechayev for dosh. However, R' Avraham ben Harambam seems to indicate that the gemarah is refering to the removal of the body of the chilazon from it's shell [and therfore is an av of dosh not a toladah like milking a cow]. Some have argued that this should not suffice for the shiur because it is melacha sheina tzreicha legufa [as only the blood is needed]. However, the speaker in the gemarah who is mechayev is R Yehuda who happens to hold that melacha sheina tzreicha legufah is chayav!</p>

<p>It is also possible to say that the gm is discussing a case when he was potzea many chilzonos. The gemarah does not get into detail because the main point is just to bring out the machlokes if disha is only with gedulei karka.</p>

<p>Rav Avraham Harofeh of Mantua is his sefer shiltei giborim (71) [published in 5372 - 1612. Tos YT quotes him a few times in Tamid and Middos.] says tcheles is from pupurah [greek for murex]. So does the chavos yair in his purush on OC [mekor chaim 13]. Yaavetz seems to assume this as well [mitpachas sofrim]. It is also mentioned as a possibility in Minchas Ani by R David Zintzheim [Chief Rabbi of France&nbsp;under Napolean - and&nbsp;very respected&nbsp;by chasam sofer.] Tiferes Yisrael in intro to moed quotes similar idea in the name of german bible scholar Gesinius.</p>

The degree which was awarded to Rabbi Herzog by London University for his work on techeles was a D.Litt. degree and not a Ph.D. The D.Litt. degree is a higher doctorate, namely it is degree which is higher than a Ph.D. He was awarded this degree in 1913 for his thesis entitled “Hebrew Porphyrology”, which means the study of purple dye. About 50 years ago I read this extremely interesting thesis at the University of London Senate House Library. Unlike theses today which have to be bound to rigid specifications, this thesis consisted of piles of pages which were just clipped together!

<p> <p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: #535252; line-height: 17px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: #f1f5f9;">Check out R' Yaakov Shapiro's take here:</p> <p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: #535252; line-height: 17px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: #f1f5f9;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; color: #535252; line-height: 17px; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; background-color: #f1f5f9;"><a style="text-decoration: none; color: #006399;" href="http://www.jewswithquestions.com/index.php?/topic/468-tcheiles-bzman-hazeh/">http://www.jewswithquestions.com/index.php?/topic/468-tcheiles-bzman-hazeh/</a></p> </p>