The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-12-12
STRIPS OF HUMAN SKIN.
Converted Into Raxor Strops by
Medical Students.
A GFuesome TrAAAc Carried On by I'm
pecuntous OpsFators In the Disseet-
ing R0om-How the strOps
Arc Made.

The razor strop of human skin ex-
emplifies the fin de steele indifference OF
the age TO means and ends. 1t need
scarcely be said that it was in the brain
of heartless medical student, steeled
to insensibility of the sacredness OF the
corporal body by constant contact with
it in the dissecting- room, that this razor
strop had its origin.
You never can tell to what heights of
audacity the average medical student
will reach in his professional profana-
ton of the corpaes upon which he is
called to operate. This is provcrbial the
world over, and it has come to pass that
he looks upon human cadaver-it was
he who first called it q ''stiff"-as mere
ly fleshly commodity, which, the vital
spark once gone from 1t, becomes SO
much clay TO be worked over and ma
uipulated in any way he sees ut.
Now, you do not believe, possibly
enough, that the razor strop of human
skin is an actually. You are far wrong.
1t is in existence in New York,
but the traffic in them is carried on sur
reptitiously and as an occasional
means OF helping some poverty stricken
"med." to exc out a living.
1t is well known that in dissecting the
most delicate and finest of steel instru-
ments are used. 1t is necessary to keep
these instruments extremely sharp.
The ordinary coarse stone or strop
would utterly destroy the delicate
blades.
1t is also well known that razor can
be nicely finished" on the palm OF the
| hand. This fact led to the use of small
crude strops made of bits of flesh, Sc
| cured in the dissecting-ro The pos-
sibilities of this human flesh strop ap-
pealed so forcibly to the practical mind
OF one of the students that he began
experiments which have resulted in the
| introduction very quietly on the mar
ket of razor strop made of human
| flesh
One side of these strops is made OF
black flesh and the other side of Whit
flesh The skin for these strops is sc.
cured in this way: When stndents ars
given parts of the human body to dis
sect, the skin is usually removed ant
thrown away. This waste skin is nov
in great demand.
The leg skin is the part most prized
4 | as it is from this that the most desir
able strips of flesh for rszor stro5s ar,
secured The epidermis and the der
mis- are carefully removed together in {
strip is inches bv five inches. All fa'
ia cut away and the strip is then put II
strong solution of arsenic and water
where it is allowed to remain for abou
five hours. 1t is now changed to {
weaker solution of arsenic ard left fo
~ days.
Next il is placed in a secret solution
which imparts additional frmness +
it, and is then stretched and tackled ol
board to dry. Two days in the SUI
is required for the drying, ard it is the
trimmed and cut to the required size.
niece of flesh of the size described wi
shrink in the process of curing to -four
teen by three and a half inches.
Next it is thoroughly saturated wit
linseed oil to soften it, and after hein
, rubbed hard with smooth, roun
, stick, it is rendered remarkably fex
. BILE and ready for mounting. A piec
of white linen duck is used for backing
and the strip of flesh is pasted to
with a thin solution of furniture glu
: The two sides of the strop are made or
: of black flesh and the other of whit
flesh. The black flesh is prepared
/, the same manner ms that of viii
mans skin, but it is more difficult I
treat
:, The two strips of human flesh al
!, pasted together back to back. and NAL
= razor strop which is said by tho
i who have used them to be far superi,
!, TO the ordinary razor strop ST leather.
- The dark side is used to "start" al
= the white side to ''tinish" the razor. TT
- advantages claimed are that it is soft
:, and more flexible, and that the por
~ being closer together than in leath,
:, it offers greater resistance to the raz
: and gives the blade better and mo
Is lasting edge.-N. Y. Journal.