The St. Johns herald., 1894-06-28
SKELETONS IN DEMAND.
The Different Purposes for Which
 They Are Used
E3r sEedica1 Students Obtain Means for 1nstruction in the Science of Anat- omy some Facts About a
 GhouIish Business.

and lecturers have found 1t more cIfi-
 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-rooms 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 doc
 tors who do not preserve a skull as
 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 CT particles and leaves the bone quite clean.
 If sprinkled 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 arc 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 to the sup ply of bodies, as both the French and German governmentsc contribute in this way means of advancing medical science. It is this mutual desire on the part of the practitioners and au- 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 blcacheries must be ac- counted for on the records of the hos pitals, almshouscs and asylums, and when the skeleton is disposed of it is accompanied by 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 iGcnti- fication as to the man or woman or child who gave animation to the sl1clc- ton in life. 4 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 unpacl1ing a 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 skel- etons pass through the custom house here free of duty and free of examina- tion, unless the inspectors have reason l to suspect the smuggling of dutiable 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 a | skeleton is preserved by means of a 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 arc i'm ported every year to supply the Amer ican market and possibly three times ns many separate parts. There is also a brisk demand for skulls and thigh bones by secret societies. The pelvis is also purchased very largely for the study of obstetrics. A great hobby with medical students is, to have skulls made up as tobacco boxes. Many of . them are very ella borate, and cost con- money. Clubs organized to defy superstitious beliefs also use them, but for a horrible purpose. They figure in their carousals as drinking cups.
 To fill these many denandsa French man opened up a business here some years ago on the European plan. He obtained bodies no one knows how, and made enongh 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 in spring and fall, as there is a call for them during the lecture