Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1885-01-17
u1sSECTING-ROOM GHOULS.
,ome Of the VandaI Tricks played b.
New York Studentst

utome of the Nandai Iricks playeO DS
New York Studentst
The mystery which attaches to the
I6ssecting room of a medical college ex-
I,rises horribly fascinating influence
LAYER the minds of uninitiated. Revolt
Inc as the details of the scientific prac-
Iices carried on therein are to the lay
Imam there exists nevertheless strange
land morbid curiosity in connection with
kbe fnal disposition of the city's
Unknown, unclaimed or pauper dead
Irithin the walls of these human "carv-
Ing academies. Professors and medical
lItudents are teased by their friends TO
Ie taken through them on tour of in
Ipection. People of delicate organiza-
kiOns and sensitive perves are often
among those that prefer tins singular
REQUEST. Generally one glance at the
brown and withered trunks stretched
Iupon the dissecting tables, and one
Imell of the peculiar and nauseating
Iodor that permeates the place, is suffi-
Icent to send the unaccustomed visitor
quickly away with sense of sickness at
lhe pit of his stomach.
1t is pity that practical demonstra-
lion is necessary to the intelligent study
If anatomy; for one cannot altogether lose
Iight of the sanctity with which custom
land religion surround the persons of the
dead. In the interest of science this
Iprejudice, of course, must not prevail,
land in order that our young sawbones
, Imay penetrate the fearful and wonder
Nil mysteries of the human organization,
the unfortunates who shuttle off this
mortal coil in our charitable and correct
live institutions, the unknown corpses
That are left unclaimed in the dead
house, must be gathered together, in
<ected with preserving fluid, doubled up
had jsmmed into barrels, carted to the
nedical colleges and distributed among
khe students to hack and to hew with
heir knives. So long as dissection is
lrosecuted decently and in order. there
Ian be nothing more than a sentimental
Feeling against the practice. But rep
Insentative of The Star recently made
some discoveries which 90 to show that
The dissecting-rooms of eur medical
Iehools are frequently the scene of acts
Iof an outrageous and ghoulish character.
l While visiting the office of a Young
4physician recently graduated, the report
jer noticed upon his desk small mat,
brownish-g-ay in color. and about five
inches square. Picking it up he exam
ined it and then looked iuquisitively at
the doctor.
"You are wondering what that is?" he
remarked. 81 'Jo ni questions have been
asked about 1t. Curious thing, isn't III"
and the physician chuckled in anticipa
ton of what re was about to commuLl-
cate. That's piece of skin cut from a
dead mans back and tanned" The re-
porter dropped the mat rs if it had been
apiece of hot iron.
"What is it for?" he inquired.
Nothing in particular. | keep it
merely as a memento of my college
days"
The newspaper man evinced curiosi-
ty to learn something further on the
subject.
: "rhe piece of skin hasn't much of a
history" said the Esculap:an, lighting a
cigar and rubbing his hand softly over
what had once served as covering for
aman's lumbar region, "One day an
ether fellow and found the body of a
gray-haired chap lying in cloth on the
dissecting- room floor. We hoisted it
up on table, and. having nothing else
to do, skinned its back and divided the
cuticle into two pieces. L tanned my
piece. The other fellow threw his
j away"
"And are these horrible pastimes CON-
mon?"
Il don't know about their being 'hor-
nble,' but they are certainly common
enough. You know the students think
nothing about mutilatIDg stiff. What
else is it good for, any way? Now and
then student is squeamish about such
matters, but they get over that bravely
The old fellows like to horrify the new.
y-entered men, and they do lots Of
things of a comical nature with the
corpses Just to shock hem, you know
The c-stom of tanning skin is popular
Some of the boys had slippers, smoking
caps, chest protectors, gloves and pen
Wpers made of this material, either fol
keep axes OF for fun. The human skin
when properly prepared, makes a very
SOFT and useful article"
here?"
4 II perceive you belong to the preiu
alced class from your choice of words
Many other devices were popular. On'
was to amputate a hand, remove th'
nesh and put it in padded kid glove
Then the student would hold it III III
coat sleeve, and when shaking hand
with lady, suddenly pull out the bone
and make her scream by exhibiting ;
skeleton hand. / cannot recollect al
nelokes Cf this kind that were played
! Sut know there acre gRd many
sometimes the boys would get hold of .
INST subject, prop him upon the table in
asung posture aud arrange his finger