The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-06-03
4 LIBRARY or bones.


Skeleton or Spinal Column.
\ New York Letter to the st. Louis GLOBE
Democrat
A collection of bones necessary to the
study of human anatomy, controlled
like circulating library, is certainly
novel institution, and it is not general
1y known that one of the kind exists.
But such is the use now being made of
pauper remains that the law provides,
after the dissecting table has finished
with them, for their further use by the
army of medical students working in
the interest of suffering humanity in
this, the University City.
There are several of these collections
in the great American colleges through
out Uncle Sans dominions, which have
been recently attracting European stu
dents, and any one Of them is worth in
the neighborhood of twenty-five thou
sand dollars. Yet, being of so recent
completion, their Introduction forms a
novelty that has previously escaped the
pens of public scribes.
Before the colleges conceived the idea,
each student was compelled to pay fab
that he could either discard or reserve
as merely interesting, after thoroughly
familiarizing himself with their office
and peculiarities in the human mechan-
4 ism.
Now, however, for the small sums of
from FIVE to twenty-five cents he can
call at "the circulating bone library,
/ as it is called, and take out radius or
a skull and keep it week, when 1t can
be renewed without extra charge, or, II
he so desires, he can return it the next
day and take out another specimen by
paying the uniform price for the one
last obtained.
There are so many duplicates in the
collection that the students are allowed
to renew any bone four times, and
A thereby retain it month, with but the
H cost of removing 1t from the shelves.
N At the end Of that time, however, 1t is
considered that a student should have
seen enough of the specimen, and he is
compelled to give it up before the Iii
brarian" allows him to take out others
N At every renewal it is the rule for the
4 student to bring the bone with him as
4 If to return it. The attendant exam
4 ines it carefully with magnifying
glass to see that it is being well cared
a posted on the bulletin board, but the
3 students only smile at this, and consid-
er it merely a little stratagem on the
part Of the college to make sure that
the student has held the loaned bone in
his possession. When one considers the
facilities the students have for pledging
the bones to replenish their pockets,
y which are so often temporarily embar-
raised, it is not at all strange that the
attendant should be suspicious.
Each bone is worth at least ten times,
and some twenty and even fifty times,
H the money required of students for bor-
rowing them, the purpose of the fee be-
ing only to pay the salary of the man
in charge and to keep them in order.
Any one of the large bone dealers is
anxious to buy them, and will pay a
sum nearly equal to their recognized
value for t5>em. A complete skeleton is
worth from thirty to one hundred dol
lars but it is said that no two are ex-
actly alike, and not infrequently freaks
are found, which are usually sold at
auction, when numbers of students are
formally invited to attend. Great ex-
citement prevails at these assemblages. !
Of all portions of the skeleton, the
perfect skull Is the most difficult to OBJ
tain Those wired to ordinary skele-
tons are usually very imperfect. An
ordinary skull is worth from one to five
dollars on the present market but a
" perfect one will always bring vat least
Fl fifty dollars. This Is explained by the
fact that only when the human body is
between eighteen and twenty years old
is the condition Of bone matter in the
skull In state to preserve without |
changing,
The bones of the legs and arms are |
worth from twenty-five cents to one dol |
liar piece, the collar-bone one dollar, |
y the shoulder-blades fifty cents each, |
and the spine, with all the vertebrate |
strung, five dollars. There is little or |
nothing to be learned by studying the |
Individual sections. The bones Of the |
hands and feet are also strung. They |
bring one dollar each. OF course this is |
Independent of the curlos that come into
the market, and which have no uniform |
brice. For instance, a spine supposed
10 have been deformed by the bicycle
braze might bring five hundred dollars
ust now, and the owner would be proud
bf it,
M In the bone or skeleton business I'm l.
& BE William''--he of three-balI notoriety
hind who has such a long list of affec-
ionate nephews and nieces--is discov-
red in a speciality. The dealers reali-
hing that students are liable to get in
Y dvance Of their allowances, have con-
looted scheme to put them further in
~ dvance by starting department in
heir weird ware rooms on the plan of
he pawnbroking business, and they are
beral with their loans. So, on the
Whole, it is not to be wondered at that
he attendant at the window of the col
ege "bone library" is always on the
lert and interested in the whereabouts
{ his charges.
A few days ago the writer overheard
In ordinary exchange of words in a
treet car that was afterwards discov-
red to have hidden meaning. par
of three or four students entered and
ung to the straps.
where do we go tonight" remarked
he.
"Oh, we must take in some show" re-
led another
1"Got any money!" put in a third rath- !