Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-02-14
MEDICAL STUDENTS.
CREWSOME WORK IN THE
NAME OF SCIENCE.
Carving the Dead for tho Benefit OF the
Living-How Female students Handle
the Saw and Scaipel-Sights and
Scenes in College.

return to the traditional dust. Even
the most worthless of men in life be-
come valuable after death-to medical
students at least. n
There are several places in Omaha
where dead bodies are put to scientific
use. These places are called dissect-
ing rooms, and are generally con-
nected with some of the medical col
leges, but occasionally student gets
subject" that is particularly in
| teresting and takes it to his own Office
| for dissection.
A Bee reporter managed to secure
admission to The dissecting room of
one of Omaha's medical schools one
night recently, where he was per-
mitted to witness the work in full
operation, of cutting up corpses. The
room was in the top story of large
building and to all outside appearances
there was nothing going on inside
| Upon opening the door strong flood
| of light poured forth, as well as a
stencil which was strong enough to
take its own part. In fact, it caused
the reporter to become afflicted with
a tremendous desire to initiate the
whale which swallowed Jonah. The
door was closed and the visitor found
| himself in the company of bakers
| dozen OF corpses in various stages of
| decomposition and dissection. A num-
Der of students were hard ut work
cutting and slashing the bodies in the
interest of science, while the reporter
was hard at work trying to put stop
to the internal strife which seemed to
be gaining strength in his digestive
organs. The students were too busy
to pay much attention to him, how
ever, and a strong cigar helped him to
retain his last meal
All over the room were long, mar
row tables on which were the ''stiffs a"
| The students worked over and leaned
on these bodies with the utmost
familiarity, and discussed the different
| formations of each. Over in one cor
ner a Japanese student was studying
the brain of Il subject, while colored
man was learning the muscular parts
of an arm. A Hndoo was slashing
|
man, while German was discussing
a spinal nerve system with an Irish
man.
A pale-faced young woman with IN
tellectual brow and bloody hands was
examining the muscular action and
formation of the heart and lungs of q
small-siZed corpse, while one of the
professors was discussing, in a learned
manner, the best method for perform
ing difficult case of surgery The
young woman looked as if she might
faint at the sight OF "a mouse or a
bloody nose, but she went at her
work with a decided relish, and she
cut and slashed with keen knife as
if she enjoyed it. Another young
woman was assisting her, and il was
afterward learned that these two
females were the most advanced stu
dents in their class. They were great
students. and were able to practically
demonstrate the lessons obtained from
medical journals.
Soon other students appeared, and
in short time some one was working
on each of the dozen corpses in the
room. A stout, strengthening man
opened trap door, lowered block
and tackle, and in a few minutes an
other corpse was hauled up, apparent
| ly from under the floor. This one was
put upon table and prepared for OPP
GRAFTON by having the location OF the
internal organs outlined upon the
| skin. A couple of first-year students
were given a chance to carve these
remains. The room presented busy
| appearance, young men dressed in
rubber coats or old clothes, and armed
with sharp knives were cutting away
| flesh and skin, carefully exposing the
muscles and nerves, performing diff
fcult operations by proxy, as it were,
and engaging in comparing their work
with the subjects which they were
| studying i'm books An exclamation
from one quiet young man brought
others to his side. He exposed the
vermiform appendix OF the "stiff'' over
which he was working, and in it was
a grapeseed. The first symptoms Of
lIlndlullldJlOu "cTc nOIltcdDlc, anu uc
was of the opinion that in few days
well developed case OF appendicitis
would have been the result. He be-
moaned the fact that the man had died
suddenly without giving the appendix
chance to get in its deadly work,
and so did his fellows. The appendix
looked like long white string, but
none of the students could give any
reason for its existence in the human
body.
He explained that when "stiff''
was brought to college for dissection a
half pound OF arsenic was injected
into the body, thoroughly disinfecting
it and preserving the tissues. After a
few days liquid starch, colored with
aniline, was forced into the arteries
and veins making them assume a
natural appearance. After the mus
cles, nerves, internal organs, skin and
! ligaments had been removed from the
subject the bones were boiled in watts
of acid, removing every particle OF
matter clinging 10 them. Then they
were bleached and strung together on
wires, giving each of the graduates a
skeleton to hang in his own closet.
| The more remarkable SubiectS were