Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-05-17
OUTRAGING THE DEAD.
Revolving Revels over CoIpses In tho New
York Medical COIieges-skuls aud Limbs as
Missiies--A Gastiy Group for the Camera.
FIR ON the N. Y. Murcury.

| York Medical COlIeges-skuls aud Limbs
| s.lssiIes--A easily Group for the Camera.
From the N. Y Murcury.
"You had better light cigar, the
odor up there may annoy you," said
q medical student to the reporter, as
they climbed the dark stairway lead
ing 10 the dissecting room attached
to BELLEVUE Hospital. eve who
work over the bodies are pretty
much accustomed 10 it, but we most
always smoke. There are all kinds
of gases rising from the decaying
| bodice, and tobacco smoke seems to
take away some Of them. It's the
awful death ike smell that comes ~
from the bodies that have been up
theI e Cor hree or four or five weeks
that bother us most. We cant get
rid Ct it 10 any way. You, see, we
can't ont 'em up in hurry; it's slow
work picking them to pieces fiber by
| fiber, and usually body lays around
on the benches for eight weeks be-
fore IFS all used up. Sometimes
there is a rush OF bodice, and few
of them get pretty old before We
touch them. I've known bodies to
lay around for twelve weeks" The
student fitted latch key into the
door at the top of the stairway, and
pushed into largo room, in which
abont twenty young men were bend
ing over little low red tables, on
which were
NAKED BODIES OF MEN, WOMEN, AND
CHILDREN.
There was deep, dead suffocatiug
smelI that the perfume of the cigar
smoke did not overcome. every
body knows about these places in
general way" the student added !;
severy body understands that all
these corpses come from the hospit-
al and m0rgues, and are the bodies
of paupers that we cut them in
pieces aud work over every inch Of
their flesh, pulling muscles apart,
following veins and arteries, and
learning as much as possible about
the structure of the human body.
But / can show you some things
that the public does not hear about.
You noticed [ unlocked the door IS
we entered, everybody can't get in
mere. Certain ones only Of tho stu-
dents may occassionly bring visitor.
The reason is the boys sometimes
play pranks with the dead, and quite
ofton
MUTILATE THE BODIES.
Here is little thing TO start with. J"
The student pointed to the body of
medium sized, middle aged woman
that had not been operated upon.
On the side was a succession of deep
gashes and the flesh CAPPED open wide.
| The cuts formed the initial letters
IS. T.. RI The student explained
"You see, every fellow has his sub
ect or the part Of one, and he works
away on it uatil it's all gone, This
one belongs 10 young Nj, and
he has carved his initials on her so that
none of the other fellows will take
Ter. Sometimes they put them on
with a paint brush, like this one" and
he led the way to another body on
| whose back was daubed in black
paint 81. @" in awkward letters
"And here is one they have marked
as the butcher marks the roast beef
he is to send home to you, by writing
the name on piece of paper, and
pinning it to the flesh with sharp
stick" The stick was driven through
the paper and deep into the old mans
leg.
Hello! anybody," cried out stu
dent in the corner; "who wants to
trade head for two arms and leg?"
"Giye one for two legs and an arm,"
was the answer from near by.
"Let's see the head" shouted back
the man in the corner, and he sailed
forth to look at it. The visitor was
astonished, but his companion ex-
planned that such things were com
mon enough. The man in the corr
ner wanted a head to dissect. He had
no head but was burdened with legs
and arms; he merely wished to make
a trade. "Oh, yes" he added, "they
trade hearts for lungs, feet for hands,
men for women, and boys for girls.
Good skulls are valuable, so are skele-
tons, though we rarely find perfect
ones Our subjects are persons who
have paid little attention to physical
development. Most of them are
wasted by disease The boys soon
become skilled in selecting them, and
they drive bargains with each other
about as sharply as the Washington
Market butchers. When they want
to dispose of part of body they
not unfrequently put placard on it
tFor sae.' You see two or three
over on that table Over in the
Tive third street dis.ecting room
they have more of it than here, for
they are divided MP into classes OF
five each and the bodies are each
divided into five parts: the head and
neck, the right arm and trunk, the
left arm and trunk, and the two legs
and their parts of trunks. Then the
boys draw lots for each part. Some
times one draws leg He may have
just finished dissecting a leg, so he
does not want leg, consequently he
trades it off
A CORPSE WITH A PIPE.
| Sec that cid codger who has been