The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-11
STRANGE CHARTS.
derfuI Pathological Specimen
Her Sketches, Water COlors, Pho
tOgraphs. Are Made and Taken In
the Dissecting Room and Used
Afterwards. by Physicians and
Medical Students.

It seems strange for woman to in
wade the dissecting room, and through
art TO lend a helping hand to science,
yet this IS the calling Miss Fannie
3. Elkins has chosen and followed
successfully The work is in charts.
color plates. process, and half-toned
drawings. which she makes from dis
sections photographs, and from
sketches or books. She is familiar with
the uses of the opthalmoScope, larnyg-
oscope, otoscope, microscope and cam
era-lucida, and has frequent use for all
of them. She also models and colors
pathological specimens, in hard plaster
or PAPER mache, with equal facility
In her studio, she has a long table, on
which she makes casts of any part OF
the human anatomy desired.
Her work IS used by the medical
students in all our leading colleges. Be
fore Miss Elkins gave her attention
to the subject the students were forced
to make their necessary observations
from sawed uD slices of humanity,
frozen. or preserved in alcohol.
Whether the increased number of the
gentler sex thronging the medical
school had its influence or not, this
method suddenly found disfavor. Then
l.
producing the sections in tinted casts,
but the work was not delicate or true
in color or detail. and found scant
favor with the professors. About this
time Miss Elkins, who was a teacher
IN the Packer institute, Brooklyn, was
called upon by her family physician
to make some large anatomical charts
AS she had always felt a keen interest
in anatomy, the charts proved no small
success. and the doctor showed his
appreciation by assisting her to OBJ
tain other work. Very soon the irksome
routine OF a teachers life gave place
to the interests of science. The doc
tors all welcomed Miss Elkins, assist
ing her in every way, her gentle, wom-
anly demeanor winning universal re-
spect.
Whenever q physician has an IN
usual case he wishes to put on record
this little woman is his companion,
sitting quietly by, with pencil in hand,
water colors and paper, doing her work
While the doctor does his. All of the
medical journals now published have
b. Miss Elkins, but the
Of her career has been her
pathological specimens, which by far
those ofythe Frenchman in
accurate handling, each tiny
nerve and vein being depicted with a
Idellty greatly delighting the medical
men.
Almost every well-known physician
in the country has had at one time or
ether need of Miss Elkins' services, and
eas had to pay We'll for them, too
Despite her rather unusual calling.
Miss Elkins is very womanly in APP
pearance. She is. rather small. even
for woman, has dark hair, a trim fig
lre and powerful face, glasses empha-
sizing the character. She talks with
great earnestness- and frequently al
udes to the new fields which are open |
ng 70 women On the walls of her J
studio are the exhibits which have won
or her the Medal of Merit at the I
Cotton State International Exhibition. !
held at Atlanta, Ga, in 1895, and the /
medal and sword al the Worlds fair. !
The Worlds fair sword was granted !
% her Cor best colors, accuracy and /
beauty A curious painting in her |
studio represents the heart of a sheep, |
painted in color. after being cut open. /
o show the valves of the heart.
Thus it will be seen that Miss Elkins
axes higher interest in eatables !
han the average woman.