The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1867-02-19
INSIDE VIEW OF A DISSECTING
ROOM.

ROOM.
New York reporter has recently taken a
few notes in medical college, where he found
hundreds of young men, aud a few women, fit
ting themselves for the business of prescribing
for "all the ills that flesh is heir to-" The fol-
lowing, relative to the dissecting room, will be
found interesting: -. ..s-. .--.
In the evening, the medical studerts-who
are earnest enough to seek, by hard work, to
obtain knowledge of their profession-resort
to the dissectng rooms, of which there are
several, located in different parts Of the city
The largest and finest of them is located in the
upper part of college building, where twenty
FIVE or thirty tables are ranged between half a
dozen rows Of bright gas lights. Around the
sides of the rooms forty or more closets are
numbered and set apart for the use of students,
who change their clothing whenever they en-
gage in the work of dissection. The tables are
about six feet long by eighteen iaches wide,
and three feet six inches high, one end being
Inclined for drainage purposes. Under direc-
tion of the college faculty, "subjeets-i. e dead
bodes--are procured and brought to this room,
which, although thoroughly ventilated, smells
very much like slaughter house, which it re-
sembles in some respects. Headless, legless and
armless bodies occupy some Of the tables On
others, untouched bodies await the disposition
of the "demonstrator," who apportions it ac-
cording to the demand; one student asking for
a head and neck, another taking the trunk; one
gets arm or leg; in short, the body is divided
according to the inclination or desire of the DIFF
ferent dssectors to pursue their Investigations
of certain portions of the human anatomy. It
is CHASTITY sight to witness score of dead
bodies, or as many portions thereof, lying in all
stages Of dissection, ff~and stark, surrounded
L.. ,1.l -. 1..I -. H.,
armed with small scalpels, with which they cut
away flesh, fat, or muscular fibre, while follow
ing up veins or arteries to their connection with
heart, lungs or kidneys, according to the bent
of their studies. Upon one table lay the un-
covered form of woman, but few hours dead.
Near by, the inaninate body of muscular
man, and farther on the corpse Of pretty little
child, with faxen curls, was being cut up for
the benefit of living children; two students
working together upon this small "subject,
which they treated somewhat tepderly. With
open books before them, theee young men deftly
ply their sharp steel instruments, the incised
flesh being held open by small hooks chained
together in a manner that enables the operator
to obtain an untrammeled working space upon
that part of the body which he is investigating.
When these subjects are first brought to the
dissecting room, an attendant injects into the
veins preparation of plaster, colered with
million. This brings out distinctly all minute
courses through which the blood passes, and
materially aids the student in tracing their direc-
ton AID function, besides hardening aud pre-.
serving, to some extent, the subject Periodi-
cally, 'tDemonstrator Of Anatomy" makes his
appearance in the dissecting room, and dis
courses learnedly upon some portion of anatomy
laid bare before the Glass; whose seal pels arc laid
down and tables are deserted, while they crowd
around the Professor during the delivery Of his
lecture ID this manner the medical students
are practically taught much that other people
only hear of, or read about. It is not, there
fore, surprising that they soon become accus.
toned to scenes which, at first sight of the dis
secting room, curdlcd the blood in their veins.
This familiarity with the dead, and the hand
ling of different portions of body, very soon
becomes attractive work to some Of the students,
who composedly eat their luncheon while sitting
alongside of one corpse and surrounded by
many others. Undue levity is frowned upon By
the Professors and gentlemen 10 attendance;
but, nevertheless, at times some fun-loving
youngster perpetrates joke, which is quite out
of place 10 the dissecting room.
AS general rule the remains are treated as
respectfully as the pursuit of science permits,
and when a "subjeet" has been sufficiently dis
sected, the flesh and bones are gathered up and
dsposed of for proper burial. From two days
to two weeks is sometimes coupled in the dis
posal of the body, although it not unfrequently
happens that head, an arm, or leg, is retain
ed for month or more, during which time
some student is engaged, for several hours daily,
Investigating its structure. When the work of
one day is left over, to be continued on the fol-
lowing day, it is usually covered with oiled silk,
or wrapped in cloth, for the purpose of ex-
Guiding the atmosphere, which would decom-
pose the "subject" During the winter season,
such precautions are not so frequently resorted
to- II cold weather the bodies are better kept
uncovered; therefore, each student, when he
leaves his "dissection,' merely pins upon the
flesh piece of paper bearing bis name.
THE TARIFF BILL-A Gross Outrage on
The Country The manner in which Congress
is piiipg on increased and additional duties IN
the Tariff bill now under consideration shows
that the public interest aud sound principles of
legislation are utterly ignored Every manu-
featuring interest, large and small, has its repre-
sentative or advocate in Congress, and propo-
sitions to give protection TO all sorts OF things
are admitted without hesitation or examination.
Never befoIe was there such loose and reckless
legislation Washington is full of lobby men.
working up and pushing through the new Tariff
bill, and they have it all their own way.
Whether this bill will increase the revenue or
not remains to be seen; for the duties are In
some cases almost high enough to be prohibiso-
ry. But we did not want an increase of revenue;
it is too large now We cannot characterize
this tariff in any other way than as gross out
rage upon the country, upon the mass of the
people, both North and South. We fear, how