Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1867-06-27
seene in q Disseeting Room.


A reporter has recently taken a
few notes in Medical College, where
he found hundreds of young men, and
few women. fitting themselves for
the business of prescribing for ''aii
the ills that flesh is heir to-" The
following relative TO the dissecting
room, will be found interesting
In the evening, the medical stu
dents-who are earnest enough to
seek, by hard work, to obtain knowl-
edge Of their profession-resort TO the
dissecting 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 a
college building, where twenty-five
or thirty tables are ranged between
half 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 the students, who
change thoir clothing whenever they
engage in the work OF dissection The
tables are about six feet long by
eighteen inches wide, and three feet
six inches high, one end being inclined
for draining purposes Under direc-
tion of the college faculty, "subiects"
i c., dead bodies-are procured and
brought to this room, which, although
thoroughly ventilated, smells very
much like a slaughter house, which il
resembles in some respects. Head
less, legless and armless bodies occupy
some of the tables. On others, un-
touched bodies await the disposition
of the "demonstrator," who appor-
tions it according TO the demand one
student asking for the head and neck,
another taking the trunk one gets
an arm or leg in short the body is
divided according to the inclination
or desire of the different dissectors to
pursue their investigations of certain
portions of the human anatomy. 1t
is a ghastly eight TO witness score
of dead bodies, or as many portions
thereof, lying in all stages of dissec-
ton, stiff and stark, surrounded by
Young men clad in butchers over,lls
and armed with small scalpels, with
which they cut away flesh, fat, OF
muscular fibre, while following up
veins or arteries to their connection
with vital parts; or searching into
the structure of the heart, lungs OF
kidneys, according to the bent Of theiI
duties.
Upon one table lay the uncovered
form of woman, but a few hours
dead. Near by, tho inanimate body
of muscular looking man; and fur
ther on, the corpse of pretty look
ing child, with faxen curls, was being
cut up for the benefit of living chill
dren two students worked together
on this small "subject," which they
treated somewhat tenderly. With
open books before them, young mer
deity ply their sharp steel instru
ments, the incisod flesh held open by
small hooks chained together in sucl
manner as to enable the operator tC
obtains an untrammeled working space
upon that part Of the body which h'
is investigating.
When the subjects are first brough
to the dissecting room, an attendan
iniects into the veins preparation 0
plaster, colored with vermillion. Thi
brings out distinctly all minute cour
ses through which the blood passes
and aids tho student in tracing thei
. direction and function, besides hard
ening and preserving, TO some extent
!, the subject. Periodically, "Demon
strator Of Anatomy" makes his az
= pearance in the dissectingroom, AM
discourses learncdly upon some POI
ton of anatomy laid bare before tn
class, whose scalpels are laid dow
and tables deserted, while they crow
= ! around the Professor during the de
= livery of his lecture. In this manne
!, ! the medical students are PRACTICAL
= taught much that other people onl
hear of or read about 1t is, there
fore, not surprising that they 500
become accustomed to scenes which
q at first sight of the dissecting room
Z curdled the blood in their veins Thi
|. familiarity with the dead, and th
!. handling of different portions of th
body, very soon becomes attractiy
!, work to some of the students, VIII
I composedly eat their luncheon Will
q sitting alongside of one corpse, an
q surrounded by many others. Undu
. levity is frownod upon by the Prote
r sors and gentlemen in attendance, br
nevertheless, at times some fun lovin
= youngster pcrpetrates a joke, whie
r is quite out of place in the dissectin
4 room.