The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-08-19
THE SKELETON BUSINESS.
A TALK WITH AN ANAToMIsT.

A TALK WITH AN ANTAGONIST.
EVERYTHING Is AN ARTICLE OF COMMERCE.
THE MARKET FOR NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
LINES OF GOODS.
The Philadelphia Times furnishes the fol
lowing amusing dialogue between an anat-
omist and reporter: Everything nova
days." said Mr.. NASH. as ne ceased blowing
through flexible pipe OF gutta percha into
what looked to a newspaper man, who yes
terdsv interviewed MIN, like barrel that
had been twisted out OF shape, Everything
nowadays is an article OF commerce. Mr..
Nash is the an4tomiss OF the medical depart
ment OF the University of Pennsylvania
Yes, SIR" he continued, Everything in this
world seems to be business. Buying a
coffin is business; chsrtering Steamboat for
pleasure excursion is busin eos, and buying
a dead elephant is also business. This
pointing to the twisted, barrel. shaped
affair that he was ipfiating SO that il could be
dried) is the stomach OF the Fairmpunt
Park Menageris elephant Empress. Il is
the first one that wac ever Gissected. Pro
lessor Chapman set his hear, on having it,
and here it is. Every body supposed that
all cumulative animals had iour stomachs
like the COW, the camel and the llama. Our
friend, the elephant, for the first time in the
history OF the science of com parative anat-
omy, dc, we lind hiss but one. Look heTe'
said Mr.. Nash. exhibiting 20 us the dried
stomach of llama that also had died at the
Zoo; "see, here are tour st0machs in one,
and water cells in which the
gentle little creatures could carry
last them Two weeks" The praoarations
anatOmically considered are very beautiful,
the skin is almost anspsreYt-en;irely
translucent. To the cause of science the
possession of the defuuct body OF the ele-
plant in question by the University is OF
viscera is as large as an old-fashioned
counterpart, Is still preserved, unbroken,
and is almost as dainty and delicate IS
MechIin lace. ''You had dead zebra also
tor dissection, Mr.. Nash?" Intercepted the
writer II had to send him back to the Zoo"
was the reply. "There is no place here in
which to deposit the refuse after dissection,
and at this season OF the year / do as little
in that way as l can. Here's a peccary
(South Ame-ic wild Pig that I "a mount
ing, and here" turning to a recess in the
corner, is a skeleton of one of the biggest
bats that the world produces Oddly enough,
in 10 exhibition of comparative anatomy
were the skeletons of either OF these species
exhibited BEFORE" "You remarked, Mr.
Nash," observed the Times Inquirer after
knowledge, THAT everything was
AN ARTICLE OF COMMERCE..
VIII you kindly indicate the force of thai
remark" "Most certainly. The dead body
of the elephant Empress had money value
and so also pointing to a human skeleton
deliberately sandpapere1, vanished and
wired with brsss) has at. The difference
between men and terrspins is that the
former carry their skeletons inside of them,
while the terrapin carries his skeleton on
his outside. This is true of all the genus
testudo, and of many of the crustacea also.
The crab sheds his skeleton. I've seen DAYS
here within two weeks" said Mr.. Nash, as
he wiped his face with spctty silk hand
kerchief, "when I'd have been right glad to
shed my flesh and to do my work sitting
| in my skeleton alone. Things are a little
dull now, Mr.. Times, but two years ago /
had more orders for skeletons than ] could
| fill. You see there are numerous secret
societies that require skeleton as part of
their paraphernslia. / don't propose TO
name them as 1 belong to nearly all OF them;
| but they could no more initiate novice into
their organizations without these emblems
of human mortality than Cardinal Nc
Closkey could marry ac0uple without ring
Just now times are rather dull; very few
new lodges are being formed. Working
new lodges; and that gentleman (pointing to
| a skeleton hanging very comfortably by his
left ear in q neat closet, otherwise full of
gla IS jars) won't 60 to Carbon County as
soon as / expected. / fixed and wired him
beautifully, as you see. His price was but
tail way, ne is worth fifty dollars; the CON-
sequence is that for the present, he will
hang just where he is" 'Outside of the
purposes OF the secret societies, sir, who
wants these emblems to remind men that
this sublunary world is but a fieeting show,
of what value are these osseous remains?n
"Why, country doctor generally like to keep
skeleton somewhere in dark closet" was
the reply, where they Keep their demijohn
OF spplejack or old rye. Their wives, daugb-
tefs or servants are sure never visit it. If
they take students they must have skull,
anyhow. No drawing or picture can teach
or give an adequate idea OF the anatomy of
the head, and a back-country doctor pretty
generally will strain a point to procure a
skeleton entire. To patients upon whom
he wishes to make an I'D IMPRESSION that he is
particularly erudite and dead shot st
MUMPs OR WORMS, s.
he will sometimes exhibit this skeleton.
Besides this, nc doctors house in which
skeleton was known to be kept, was
ever broken into. II comes cheaper than
keeping bull dogs, and makes man rep.
utation, besides" "And the cost Of a
skeleton is how much, Mr.. Nash?" $50
lodges furnish them for S35 each. They are
not handled there, and are almost imperish-
able. For doctors the articulstions requiro
TO be strongly wired, and $50 is what get Tor
one. Skulls are Of more comparative value
in proportion than the rest OF the anatomy"
said Mr.. Nash. I've often had bodies with
no skulls to match them. / have furnished
skulls and crossed bones to religious re-
cluses, male and female, who wanted nothing
else. There are societies, too, who buy
skulls, and I've sent them to such far and near
had the body of the murderer Teufel, who
was hanged at Norristown some years ago.
A physician got bis head. ! mounted the
frame, screwed the head of a negro upon it,