, 1877-12-23
uedical Colleges Taxed $25 per Pauper
Corpse--Mr. Bonfeld's Story.

I other places III Tue Un1tcu states. 4Hcv have
{ trade ali orcr the country. In New York Cit,
of1ate Years, this traffic hns also dcye|obed to
! considerable degree, but there the business {
etelesou- manufacturing is now carried on to
1 1srgc extent, which Was formerly monopo}ize
hy Paris. However, the New York skeleton
] are not as nicely bleachcd as the French, ali
hence they do cot bring the same market price
1 and are not nearly SO much in demand. =.
7 Chicago supports some half-a-dozcu medical
i co1,eces, some Of which arc largely attended
! The total number Of students studying nledj
! cine and surgery In this city will probably aggre
/ cate nearly thousand. Each subject which /:
! demonstrated upon is generally divided into
| t5e parts for dissection.. and, to satisfy thI
i number Of embryo physicians and give them q
sufficient knowledge to commence business
!: ,,n,u. it requires about 200 bodies season ol
six months Thus far this session less than .hirt]
/ bodies have been distributed among our colleges
and the term Is about @ ha1 oyer oyer Ine demand fo'
have lceislated in favor Of the doctors ant
science, md against body-snatching, by enact
luz law which is supposed to give away the
bodies Of friendlcss paupers to the medical COL
legcs.
IN that it compels the burial OF any man who cx-
nrrsses such desire before hts Death ;1anti the
countr must pay the expenses. The law pro-
!: yldcs that the bodies shall be distributed pro
rata among the colleges, but it is not nanda-
the undertaken to use discretion,
aud he has corner On the business OF Selling
subjects to colleges. The Catholic priests take
advantage OF the law BY having all who may DC
Of that faith who die III the roor-House, request
ttat they be buried. The county burial is no
imposing ceremonial but is decidedly cold
aud heaftless affair. II friends should desire to
recover corpse they would bare hard work ofit
nthe Cook County Potters Field. It is located
it the Torn OF Jefferson. The grare is u trench,
tiled up With bodies three tiers deep eneased
in the meauest OF pine collins. When a body is
dissected the flesh is carefully gathered together
and decentIy buried. Theboncs are usually put
together, and the skeleton is allowed to honor
the eanctum Of some young sawbones who has
won it III the class rattle. Certainly. there is
more honor In being strung uD in q DOCTORS
closet to frislten children and servant girls
than to be buried ignominouslT Ia paupers
grave.
ceiyed SIS each for corpses which he has fur
nisled cur medical collcges, but the fact re-
mains that he has received that amount this
year fur every body that he has sold.
LAST YEAR THERE WAS 4 DEMONSTRATORS
ASSOCIATION,
which divided the subjects pro rata among the
colleges. None were favored, and all shared
alike in proportion to the mum Der OF students.
Then the County Undertaken received $40 each
for the bodies, which was Lot an exorbitant price
considering the unplcasantness attendant upon
1hc business. But then came strike, for Bon-
field discovered the defects In the law which
raye him the discretionary power Both sides
engaged eminent COUNSEL, and Bonteld nnaily
found that he came out ahead lie then
put up the price to SIS per still. TIC money
has always been paid to him By the colleges,
zcd in adyancc, for NO corpses arc Delivered by
him Until the cash has been first paid. What
las been stated above IS true aud from authorl-
ty which Mr.. Bonfeld cannot safely. dispute.
Tie truth is, he is taking advantage OF defect
in the law, aud he takes good care tograb every
lody which comes in lis reach that mas
Cied either in the County Hospital, or Insane
ASYLUM or Poor-House and demands lis own
prize for them. Since the law intended that our
medical colleges should have the bodies Of
fr;enlcss paupers, its spirit should be carried
out in the interest Of science, and tue County
Undertaken not allowed to profit by selling
them at an e1oroitanr figure.
Il want 10 get some lnfotmaLoD, sao .
COUNTY UNDERTAKEN BoSFIELD
yesterday morning, ''about the extent Of your
business for the county"
:'Well, 1 am not doing much just now,'' was
the reply.
t.How long have you held the positiou1''
"Since year ago last March,
"How many bodies have you handlcd4'
II think the number to dnte is 1,uI0-"
"Whcre do they mainly come 'front.'" j
"The city" i
"So; from here, theEf, and everywhere.
Poor people who die and whose friends are too
bon to bury thcm."'
"Paupers7"
+1r=. Iney receive aid by being buried, just !
as they do when they are alive |
"llom many bodies do YOU get from the hos
ptal!''
II couldn't give you the correct number.
Last month think there were four y.
Aud how many from the Poor -Honse!"
"None at all. the authorities there bury |
hose who die in the Poor-House and Insane
Asylum. l have nothing to do with those instf-
usions." I
"You handle the unclaimed dead, do you |
,otl''
Yes''
~ The law requires you to turn them over to
1T doesn't require me to do it. It says the
'adertaker may do SO with the bodies from the
I'll, hospital, ete.''
ail!,
II would, i suppose, but have never had
asc from there Yes, I uid-a clnld:'
"Do you bury everybody turEed over to you
= the Warden OF the Aospitals' =.
"Undoubtedly."
,.,:Lte "uox y, many % you get from there in
"Tnis month I haven't had any. I hardly
yer get any from there The students take
hem, guess, but don't know really what
ecorncs Of fl,cn. In the summer have more ]
urials than III the winter Since the Hosplta!
AS moved onto tho West Side, l have hau
Try tew.'t
Have you eyer sold any bodies to medical
No. couldn't sell them any. They are
ati1led to them, and can come and get them."
'Nho gives you your orders to bury pcoDlct"
1.-THE Coroner, the County Agent, and the
arden OF the Hospital.'' II
Where do you bury them!"
At Jeifcrson-''
"Docs apy county official see you bury them1"
II don't put the bodies in the ground. There J
sexton there, and he attends to that"
s. Then all you do is to furnish the coffin, and
liver tue corpses on the grounda"
THAT is all.''
- How much do you get from the county for.
'lng thata"
F" get 1850 for every burial"
" Have you always received that!"
mo. fused to set only Sl.40, but NOM the
tilns are lined, and have pillow"
l. What is The price OF eofinsn
Well, thcy cost on the average about Gu or !
ccuts-big aud little ones. In this county ]
stness there arc nine ten small ones used | !
Que hig coffin. If all were large couldn't 9
tile work for $3.50. But the majority being I
,all the expense is lessened, and therefore on | {
/. average price I can make profit. ! get as ! c
1ch for burying baby as for a man Of 3o0 | S
uuds.''
= You have only told me the cost Of the coffin a
bat makes up the other expenses9 | G
: We'll, have to take the bodies out to the d
netcry. and to do that / have to keen horse ! b
i wagon to attend to this business, and have t