The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-02
THE TRADE IN SKELETONS.
AN INTERESTING DISCOURSE WITH
a SKELETON HANGER.
All About tho stomachs Of Elephsnts-why q
Physician Likes 20 have n skeleton In a
DARK Closet-The Value Of SkuIts.

From the Philadelphia Times.
Everything nowadays" said Mr. Nash
as he ceased blowing through flexible pipe OF
gu nd ! percha into wha, looked t2a newspaper
rel that had been twisted out Of shape, every
Thing nowadays IL an article Of commerce. tMr.
ment OF the University Of Pennsylvani i Yes,
sir he continued, everything In this void
ness; chartering a steamboat for pleasure
cursion Is business and buying dead elephant
barrel shaped affair that he was inn ting so that
" could be dried IL the stomach OF the Fair
the first one that was ever dissected. Prof.
Chapman set his heart on having IL, and here IL
animals had four p stomachs, ike the cow,
the camel, and the llama. Our friend,
The elephant, for the first time in the
here said Mr. Nash s.hSn ~" to U US the dried
Zoo; "see, here are four stomachs In one, aud
water cells In which the gentle little creatures
| could carry supply Of water suticient to last
them for two weeks" The preparations ana.
tomically considered are very beautiful the
akin Is almost Transparent entirely translucent.
| To the cause OF science the possession Of the
defunct body Of the elephant in question 10y the
| veloping the vsccra Is "a large as an oid-fash-
Toned counterpart, Is preserved unbroken, and
is almost as dainty and delicate as Mechiin lace.
You had-a dead zebra also for dissection, Mr..
Nash :" lnterrogated the writer. 81 had To- send
him back to the Zoo was the reply. There
after dissection, and at this season OF the year
do as little IN that way as can. Here's pee
mounting, and here" turning to n recess In the
corner, us skeleton OF one Of the biggest bats
that the world produces. Oddly enough, In no
exhibition Of comparative anatomy were the
skeletons OF either OF these species exhibited
"You remarked, Mr.. Nash" observed the
Times inquirer after knowledge, that every
thing was an article Of commerce. WIN you
kindly indicate the force OF that remark
THE DIFFERENCE BEIwBEN MEN AND TERRArINs
Most certainly. The dead body Of the ele-
phant Empress had m Dney value, and 40 also
Uointing to a human skeleton clahorately sand
pauered, vanished, ana wired with BRASS mas
that. The difference between men and terrapns
T. that the former carry their skeletons INSIDE
OF thcm, while the terrapin carries his skeleton
on his outside. This Is true of all the genus
t'studo, and 81 many, OF the crustacea also.
The crab sheds his skeleton. I've seen days
here WITHIN two weeks" said MIR. Nash. rs he
wined mis- face with spotty silk handkerchief,
when Id have been right glad to shed my
flesh aud 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 skele-
tons than / could al. You see there are nuns err
Gus secret societies that require a skeleton as
part of their paraphernalla. / don't propose
to name them, because belong 10 nearly all OF
them; but thcv could no more initiate novice
OF human mortsiity than Cardinal Hccio.tey
could marry couple without ring. just now
times are rather dull very few new lodges are
being formed. working people In Ito country
haven't means to form new lodees ana that
gentleman (pointing to skeleton hanging very
erwise full ~ glass jarsl won't 20 to Carbon
county a. soon "a expected. | fixed him aud
wired HIM beautifully, as you see. His price
WAS out SIS though, in general retail way, he Is
worth $50; the consequence Is that, Tor the
present he will hang just where he is
the UTILITY AND THE COST OF SKELETONS.
| "Outsids OF the purposes OF secret societies,
sir, who want these emhlcms to remind man
that THIS sublunary world lie but ieeting show.
why, country doctors generally Ike To keel, n
skeleton somewhere In dark closet" was the
applejack OF old rye. Their wives, daughters,
or servants are sure never to visit IL. II they
No drawing or picture teach give AN
adequate idea OF the anatomy OF the head. and
bacS-countTy doctor pretty generally viii
strain point to procure n skeleton entire. 10
patients upon whom he wishes to make an i'm
preston that he is particularly erudite and a
times exhibit this skeleton. Besides this. no
doctors house In which skeleton was known
To he kept was ever broken into. IL comes
cheaper than keeping bulldogs, and makes a
man reputation BESIDES"
And tue cost Of n skeleton l. how much, Mr.
NashF' ITO LODGES | furnish them Tor $3j
each. They are not r. ndled there; and are al
tons require u toe strongly wired, and so Is
| what se, for one. Skulls are of more compar-
ntive 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
recluses, male and female, who wanted othing
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 hang
ed at Norristown some ye rs ago. physician
sot his mead. / mounted tue frame, screwed
saek-coaSry oe n of Kn sS SS Of SYf Py his
"what became Of the necro's Uodyi" "Oh, no.
body cares that KIND Of material Is abundant.
Dy the law of the Commonwealth the remains
OF all VINO die In IL unclaimed are handel over
TO the colleges To promote the interests Of
science"
How about the skeletons OF infants, Mr.
Nash z" asked the reporter "You have them
IA the museum OF your university How is IL
that preparai ions SO delicate can be dissectedf"
They ali come from France" said Nj. Nash.
IAN that sort Of things are produced abroad.
They are necessary for us to have, but not an
anatomst would be ENCOURAGED by any college
IN this country TO prepare them. Skeletons Of
birds ana sun u animals are prepared IN the
same way. No human hand, even II working
under "A microscope, could DO II half welt.
The bird, or wha.eyer II may be, Is surnkled
with sugar ana placed near by an ant Mill. In a
few days nothing out the bone contained IN II is
- Are these preparations expenslveT you
ask.
BRISK DEMAND ron SKULLS.
avery much so. A skull containing sound
teeth, 50 dissected and sawed out a. to EXHIBIT
the actual nerves and circulation, Is worth 500
All these thlhg- are as much articles OF trade ~
boots or bOnnrts. lhey always will be So. Duh
as times now are, cannot keen up, said Mr.
Nash, with the demand for skulls. The skulls
Of murderers, somehow or other, very often
very sngulariy vanish. The skull OF Probst Is
IN the museum of Jefferson college. Nobody
there had any use for his bones. Anyhow. they
wouldn't have kept. They were SOFT, almost cat
careous, and the carcase went tie way Of all such
hssh. Bone" continued Mr.. Nash rs curious
a queer thing indeed, my say, Is bone. When
i began tais business they used To say that the
skeleton of "A drupsical person was the best for
preseTva ion, because the bones mncerated in
the water. But that isn't so. had lower law
bone from which the teeth had been removed,
and 1t made the neatest inkstand you ever saw.
| got the dental process lined with metal, set II
upon bfa-s feet, aud the upper part Of the jaw
made just pretty place 10 rest a pen holder
I'm ~ ever YOU saw. half dozen ot doctors
wanted n, but before could decide as to which
TO cUnsign II, somebody stole IT,.
A BABOoN AZ OLD FATHER TINE.
Here's something interesting" said Mr..
Nash, as he pointed TO the skeleton 81 big dog
faced oaboon " mi. fellow" said he, :" was
brought To me by Major lnRhls, very III with
pulmonary consumption. lie t2ok his COD liver
oil from me, and his orange atterwur' with all
the submission of child. didnt exIfsct TO
cure him, for bis lett lung was gons. Why, ~,
these ~ onkeys have consumption just rs we do,
only, what Is worse IN them II Is Contagious"
Tue skeleton Of this monkey was mounted In an
erect posture. par OF spectacies were upon
his nose, and he was leaning upon scythe made
10 suit his Size. miniature hour glass In his
hand made him a fair representative of IaI1er
Time. A man who kept barroom sar the
college" then at Ninth aud Chestr at street al
said Ar. Nasn, asked me To lenG MN that skei-
eton as curiosity, ana "a so. lie was puz.
Lled when that day, N constant succession, . o.
We VINO hrS. called for hard drink Immediately
chH.gsd their order To cider or porter sangarce.
IL Wa well on 10 the middle Of the daV Wl