Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-08-26

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and that gentleman" pointing to skeleton
| hanging very comfortably by his
| left ear in neat closet, otherwise
full Of glass jars) ''wont go to Carbon
County as soon as | expected. fixed him
and wired him beautifully, as you see.
His price was but thirty-fve dollars,
though, in a general retail way, he is
worth fifty dollars; the consequence is that
for the present, he will hang just where he
is"
Outside Of the purposes Of secret soci-
cites, sir, who want these emblesns to re-
mind man that this sublunary world is
but a fleeing show, of what value are
these osseous remains?" "Why, country
doctors generally liketo keep skeleton
somewhere in dark closet" was the re-
ply, "where they keep their demijohn of
applejack or old rye. Their wives, daugh-
tiers or servants are sure never to visit 1t.
If they take students they must have a
skull, anyhow. No drawing or picture
can teach or give an adequate idea of the
anatomy of the head, and back-country
doctor pretty generally will strain a point
TO procure skeleton entire. To patients
upon whom he wishes to make an i'm.
preston that he is particularly erudite and
a dead shot at humps or worms he will
sometimes exhibit this skeleton. Besides
this, no doctors house in which a skeleton
was known to be kept was ever broken
into. 1t comes cheaper than keeping bull
dogs and makes man reputation be-
sides"
"And the cost of skeleton is how
much, Mr.. Nash ?" "To lodges furnish
them for thirty-five dollars each. They
are not handled there and are almost inn
perishable For doctors the articulations
require to be strongly wired, and fifty
dollars is what get for one. Skulls are
of more compar alive 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 Nor
ristown some years ago. A physician got
his head. mounted the frame, screwed
the head of negro upon it and sold it to
a back -country lodge What became
of the negro's body?" son, nobody
cares That kind of material is abundant.
BY the law of the commonwealth the re-
mains of all who die in it unclaimed are
handed over to the colleges to promote the
interests of science
How about the skeletons of infants,
Mr.. Nash?" asked the reporter. You
have them in the museum of your ami
versity. How is it that preparations SO
delicate can be dissected? ~ "They all
come from France said Mr.. Nash. 'All
that sort of things is produced abroad.
They are necessary for us to have, but not
an ana,omist would be encouraged by any
college in this country To prepare them.
Skeletons of birds and small animals are
prepared in the same way. No human
hand even if working under microscope,
could do it half SO we'll The bird, or
whatever it may be, is sprinkled with
sugar and placed near by an anthill. In
a few days nothing but the bone contained
in it is left.
90 Are these preparations expensive?'
you ask, Very much so. A skull con
tanning sound teeth, so dissected and
sawed out as to exhibit the actual nerves
and circulation, is worth 5000 All these
things are aS much articles Of trade as
boots or bonnets They always will be So
Dull as times now are, cannot keep up"
said Mr.. Nash, with the demand for
skulls" The skulls of murderers, some
how or other, very often very singularly
vanish The skull of Probst is in the
museum of Jefferson College. Nobody
| there had any use for his bones ANY
how, they wouldn't have kept They were
soft, almost calcareous, and the carcass
went the way of all such flesh Bone"
continued Mr.. Nash, sis curious--a queer
thing, indeed, may say is bone When
| | began this business they used to say
that the skeleton of dropsical person was
| the best for preservation because the bones
| macerated in the water But that isn't
| SO. | had Il lower jaw bone from which
! the teeth had been removed, and it made
| the neatcst inkstand you ever saw. got
| the dental process lined with metal set il
upon brass feet, and the upper Fart OF he
jaw maze just rs pretty a place To rest a
pen-holder in as ever you saw A half
dozen of doctors wanted it, but before |
could decide aS to which to consign il
somebody stole it,
Heres something interesting" said
Mr.. Nash, rs he pointed 10 the skeleton of
a big, dogtaced habboon This fellow"
said he, was brought to me by Mai In
gals, very i'll with pulmonary consump
ton. He took his cod-livcr oil from me
| and his orange ailerWard with all the sub
mission of a child | didn't expect to
cure him, for his left lungwas gone. Why,
sir, these monkeys have consumption just
rs we do, only, what is worse in them, il is
contagious" The skeleton of this monk.
cy was mounted in an erect posture. A
pair of Spectacles We're upon his nose and
he was leaning upon a scythe made to suit
his size. \ miniature hoUr-glaSs in his
hand made him fair representative of
Father Time, A man who kept a bar.
room near the college said Mr. Nash,
asked me To lend him that skeleton as a