Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1893-06-18
SKELETONS IN DEMAND.
Tho Different Purposes for Which
They Arc Used
uo,. Medical Students Obtain Means for
Instruction In the Science Of AnAt-
omy - Some Facts About - o
GhoulIsh business.

Ghoulish Busincss.
For some time past medical students
and lecturers have found it moro Cliff
cult than usual to obtain skeletons.
The dcInund SD far exceeds the supply
that dealers find il almost impossible
to fill their customers orders. Secret
societies, too. are suffering inconvcn-
fence, according to the New York
sun, for they cannot obtain the skulls
ard fcInurs or thighbones which they
Use in their initiation ceremonies. it
Is Il strange fact that III this country,
where our surgeons and physicians are
rs eager oaavancc medical knowledge
rs these of any nation in the world.
they are handicapped, rs far Us the
bones OF the body are concerned. By
the authorities. While the supply OF
bodies for the disScctinc-rooms is not
ample. yet il is sufficient to keep the
students busy. But beyond the hos
pitul people the body must not 90. II,
Gnal disposition must be accounted for.
That final disposition must not he the
skeleton b~lcachcry. OF course bones
and skulls will find their way to the
students rooms and there are few doc
tors who do not preserve n skull Us II
"Reminiscences of the days spent among
stills" The simplest operation of
cleaning covered bones is to maccratc
the flesh and then subject the part to
boiling. After the flesh has been
brought to n consistency almost equiv
alcnt to jelly it is scrnpcd and picked
Off. The bone or skull is then treated
with Is solution Of peroxide of hydro
gen, which removes any remaining
grcas or PARTICLES and leaves the bone
quite clean.
II sprinltlcd with water and exposed
10 Che action of the sun, some degree
of Wilderness may be obtained: but 20
obtain really CNquisitcly prepared
bones you have to uSc those which arc
imported. France and Germany take
II lead, u finest work coming from
Paris. where three houses arc engaged
exclusively i'll his line of business. cx-
porting their goods all over the world.
In these two countries no obstruction
csult from restrictions ns to tho sup
ply of bodies, rs both the French and
German governments contribute in this
way Il Incans of advancing medical
science. 1t is this mutual desire on
the part of the practitioners and au-
thoritics OF these countries to acquire
perfection, rs near rs may be, that
cadst To such cTnincncc in pharmacy,
medicine and surgery in their litcra-
turc and experiments. All bodies fur
nishcd to the blcachcrics must be nc
counted for OH the records Of the kos
pitfalls, nlmshouscs and aSylumS, aaG
when the Skeleton is disposed of it j.
accompanied by n card giving all par.
ticularS as to birthplace, date of birth,
date and cause of death and such other
data rs Will furnish Il means of iLcuti-
hcation us to the man or woman or
child who gave animation to the Sl:clc-
ton i'll life. a story is told by Il prom
inCnt uptown skeleton dealer in this
city in regard to this, which goes to
Show that IL Is n small world after all
in which we live. When this dealer
wa in business down town one Of the
men was Mt work one day unpacking n
lot of skeletons which had just come
i'll. y cry of horror suddenly rc,oundcd
through the room. Ills startled com.
panionS found on investigation that
the skeleton lying before him was that
of his brother. whom he had not seen
since he left Europe. Identification
wa rendered easy by means of the ac-
~companying ting. The startled man
lost his reason.
OF late years II tag system has been
dropped as to expectations. The sl;cI-
tons pass through the custom house
ere free of duty and free Of cxaminn-
''on, unless Ii inspectors have reason
"a suspect the smuggling Of dutinLlc
goods in the cases. The EuroDean
process OF preparation is by chloride of
| lima nyl .Nl-,. ,--1-
and white bones. The hands and feet
are a~rticulntcd by passing catgut
through them. The correct form of a
skeleton Is preserved by means Of a
steel rod run through the spinal col
unn aud tho various parts are 80 skill
fully joined together by means of del
icatc springs and catgut that every
bone can be studied. Over fifteen
hundred Of these skeletons are i'm.
ported every year to supply the Amer
lean market and possibly three times
rs many separate parts. There Is also
n brisk demand for skulls and thigh
bones by secret societies. The pclyis
is also purchased very largely for tho
study of obstetrics. a great hobby
with medical students Is. To have skulls
made up ms tobacco boxes. Many OF
tncm arc very elaborate, and cost con
siderable money. Clubs organized To
defy supcrstitious beliefs also use
them, but for u horrible purpose. They
figure In their carousals Us drinking
cups.
To fill these many demands French.
man opened up n business here some
years ago on the European plan. liz
obtained bodies no one knows how.
and made enough money in n few
years to return to his beloved France
with u competency. No one since that
time has attempted to III his shoes
The demand for skeletons and bones
always exceeds the supply. II Is
briskest In spring aud fall, as there IL
a call for them during the ~lcctur,
terms. o..
PrStllCucp Anonp naItI,.