The St. Johns herald., 1893-07-06
SKELETONS IN DEMAND.
The Different Purposes for Which
 They Are Used.
How Medical Students Obtain ETeans for Instruction in the Science of Anat- omy- Some Facts About a
 Ghoulish Business.

dnO lecturers nave lOUIlu It AlOER N-IUl- cult than usual to obtain skeletons. The demand so far exceeds the supply that dealers find it almost impossible to fill their customers orders. Secret societies, too, are suffering inconven- fence, according to the New York Sun, for they cannot obtain the skulls and femurs or thighbones which they use in their initiation ceremonies. It is a strange fact that in this country, where our surgeons and physicians are as eager to advance medical knowledge as those of any nation in the world, they are handicapped, as far as the bones of the body are concerned, by the authorities. While the supply Of bodies for the dissecting-rooIns is not ample, yet it is sufficient to keep the students busy. But beyond the hos pital people the body must not go. Its final disposition must be accounted for. That final disposition must not be the skeleton bleachery. Of course bones and skulls will find their way to the students rooms, and there are few doe tors who do not preserve a skull as a reminiscence of the days spent among ''stiffs." The simplest operation of cleaning covered bones is to macerate the flesh and then subject the part to boiling. After the flesh has been brought to a consistency almost equiv alent to jelly it is scraped and picked off. The bone or skull is then treated with a solution of peroxide of hydro gen, which removes any remaining grease Or particles and leaves the bone quite clean.
 If sprinlEled with water and exposed to the action of the sun, some degree of whiteness may be obtained; but to obtain really exquisitely prepared bones you have to use those which are imported. France and Germany take the lead, the finest work coming from Paris, where three houses are engaged exclusively in this line of business, ex- porting their goods all over the world. In these two countries no obstruction results from restrictions as 70 the sup ply of bodies, as both the French and German governments contribute in this way a means of advancing medical science. It is this mutual desire on  thorities of these countries to acquire perfection, as near as may be, that leads to such eminence in pharmacy, medicine and surgery in their litera- ture and experiments. All bodies fur nished to the bleacheries must be ac- counted for on the records of the hos pitals, almshouses and asylums, and when the skeleton is disposed of it is accompanied by 8 card giving all par ticulars as to birthplace, date of birth, date and cause of death and such other data as will furnish means of identi- fcation as to the man or woman or child who gave animation to the skele- ton in life. A story is told by prom incnt uptown skeleton dealer in this city in regard to this, which goes to show that it is a small world after all in which we live. When this dealer was in business down town one of the men was at work one day unpacking lot of skeletons which had just come in. A cry of horror suddenly resounded through the room. His 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 was rendered easy by means of the ac- companying tag. The startled man lost his reason.
 Of late years the tag system has been dropped as to expectations. The sl1el etons pass through the custom house here free of duty and free of examine tion, unless the inspectors have reason to suspect the smuggling of dutiablc goods in the cases. The European process of preparation is by chloride Of lime and ether, producing very clean and white bones. The hands and feet are articulated by passing catgut through them. The correct form of skeleton is preserved by means of q steel rod run through the spinal col umn and the various parts are so skill fully joined together by means of del icate 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 ican market and possibly three times as many separate parts. There is also a brisk demand for skulls and thigh bones by secret societies. The pclvis is also purchased very largely for the study of obstetrics. A great hobby with medical students is. to have skulls 1 made up as tobacco boxes. Many of them are very elaborate, and cost con siderable money. Clubs organized to !. defy superstitious beliefs also use them. but for horrible purpose. They ! figure in their carousals as drinking cups.
 To fill these many demands French man opened up q business here some ! years ago on the European plan. He . obtained bodies no one knows how, 1 and made enough money in few . years to return to his beloved France ! with competency. No one since that time has attempted to fill his shoes. | The demand for skeletons and bones ' always exceeds the supply. It is brisl1est in spring and fall, as there is a call for them during the lecture terms.