Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-03-12
Scene in Disseoting Room--How Doc
tors are Made,

SO4o oI0 u1duSG
A new York reporter has recently taken a
few notes in medical college, where he found
hundreds OF young men and few women fit
ting themselves for the business of prescribing
for ali the ills that flesh is heir to. The fol
lowing, relative to the dissecting room. will
be found interesting:
In the evening the medical students
are earnest enough to seek, by hard work. TO
obtain knowledge of their profession-re
sort to the dissecting rooms, Of which there
are several located i'll different parts of the
city: The largest and finest of them is loco
TED IN the upper part of college huildincr
where twenty-five or thirty tables are r,punj
between half dozen rows of gas Ights-
Around the sides Of tpe room forty or more
closets are numbered and set apart for the use
OF students who change their clothing when.
ever they eugagc in the work Of dissection.
The tables are about six feet long by eighteen
inches wide, and three feet six inches hiUE
one ena DG!nS inclined for drainage purposes
Under direction of the college faculty ssub.
jects, i. e.-dead bodies-are procured and
brought to this room, which. although tho
roughly ventilated, smells very much like =
slauShtcr-house, which it resembles in some
respects. HeadlesS, leglcss and arm!css b6diss
occupy some of the tables. On others. M
touchcd bodies await the disposition of the
I" demonstration" who apportions it according
to the denand; Oue student asking for a head
and neck, another taking the trunk: one octs
an arm or leg in short the BODY is divi
ded according to the inclination or desire of
the different disSectOrs to pursue their iuvcs
tlSatOn OF certain portions of the human
anatomy. 1t Is Il CHASTITY sight to witness a
score OF dead bodies, or as many portions
thereof, lying in all stages Of dissection stiff
ana stark surrounded By young ucn clad in
butchers 0vcrallS and armed with small seal
peiS with which they cut away flesh, fat. or
muscular fibre, while following up veins or
arteries to their connection with vital parts:
or searching into the structure of heart, LUNGS
or kldueys, according to the bent of their
studies.
Upon one table lay the form of n woman
bat 4 few hours dead Near bv. the inani.
mate body of muscular looking man: and
laFther on the corpse Of pretty little child.
with iiazcn curis, WAS being cut for the benz
eht OF living children; two students WORKING
together upon this snail subject" which
'hey treated somewhat tcndcrly. With opcn
DOCKS before them these young nen deitIy
'pphcu their sharp steel Instruments, the in>
cIScd flesh being held open by small hooks
operator to obtain an untrammeled workin.,
space upon that part Of the body which he is
investigating. When these subjects are first
brought to the dissecting room. au attendant
l"lects lh'o tho veins Il preparation Of plaster.
colored With Fern;ilion. This brinrs o,it
distinctly all the minute courses throuoh
whlci! the blood oozes, and materially aids
the student i'll tracing their direction ard
function, besides hardening and preseryin"
to some extent the subject.
Periodically "Demonstrator of Anatomy
makes his appearance in the diSsecting room
and dlscourses lcarnedly upon some portion
OF anatomy laid bare before the class, whose
scalpeIs arc laid down and tables are Ceserted
while they crowd around the professor. dur.
ing the delivery of his lecture In this man.
ner mcdica! students are practically taught
tn"ch that other people only hear Of or read
about; 1T Is not, therefore, surprising that
thcy soon become accustomed to scenes which
at hrSt sight OF the dIssectng room. crrdIed
the blood in their veins This familiarity
with the dead, aud the handling of different
portions OF the body. very soon becomes at
tractlve work to some of the students. who
composedly cat their luncheon while sitting
along side of one corpse and surrounded by
many others. Undue ievity is trowned upos
by the professors and gentlemen in attend.
ing younEstcr rcrpctrates Il joke which is
quite out OF place in the diSsect;ng room.
As Il general rule the remains are treated
IS respectfully as the Pursui, oc science per-
mlts, and when ''subiect" has been suffi
ciently dissected the flesh and bones are ,,,.
Ihered up and disposed CT fo9 proper burial.
FROM two days TO TWO weeks is sometimes oe
cunled in the disposal of boJr. although it
not unirequcutIy happens that head. AZ, arm.
or " ieg Is retained for ii month or more dur.
ing which time some student is engaged for
several hours daily invesigatin" its structure.
" hen the work Of one day is left over 10 be
continued on the following day. /: is usually
covered over with oiled silk. or wraDDed in
a cloth for the purpose of excluding the at.
m"SPhere which would dccompose the sub
Ject,' During the winter seasons such pre-
cautions are not so frequently resorted to
In cold weather the bodies are better kent
uncovered; therefore each student. when he
leaves his dissection" ;" merely pins upon the
tesi " piece of paper bearing his name. thus.
giving notice t"-the attendants and all others
that he proposes to resume operations again.
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