The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-11-26
STRIPS OF HUMAN SKIN.
Converted into Ra6or etrops ~
Medical studsntA
4 0r1seons Tramo Carried On ~ IAn-
pesanio~s Operators In the Dissect-
Ing Roon-now the strops
Are nEaao.

l0R ROOo-nOW 6n0 0tkOBY
Are Mades
Tho razor strop Of human skin ex-
emplifies the fin de steele Indifference Of
the. ana to means and ends. It need
6carcely be said that II was in the brain
~ . heartiess medical student steeled
- iiiaensibility Of the sacrednesa Of the
eorporeal body by constant contact with
4 It In the dissecting-room. that thisra
strop had its origin.
You never can tell to what heights Of
audacity the average medical student
( will reach in his professional profana-
4 tion Of the corpses upon which he is
\ Ualled to operate. This Il proverbial the
\ world over, and Il has come to pass that
be looks upon q human cadaver-it was
he who first called II "stiff"-as nero
: u fleshly commodity, which, the vital
spark once gone from 1t, becomes 50
much clay to be worked over and ma
nipulated in any way he sees fit.
Now. you do not believe, possibly
enough, that the razor strop Of human
skin IL an actuality. You are far wrong.
It IL in existence in New York.
but the traffic in them IL carried on sur.
reptitiously and as an occasional
means Of helping some poverty-stricken
1smed." to exc out a living.
It IL well known that in dissecting the
most delicate and finest Of steel instru-
ments are used. It is necessary to keep
these instruments extremely sharp.
The ordinary coarse stone or strop
would utterly destroy the delicate
blades.
Il 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-room. The pos-
abilities Of this human flesh strop ap-
pealed 80 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 q razor strop made of human
flesh.
One side of these strops is made Of
black flesh and the other side of white
fesh. The skin for these strops is Sc
cured in this way: When students are
given parts Of the human body to dis
sect, the skin is usually removed and
thrown away. This waste skin Is now
in great demand.
The leg skin is the part most priced,
as 1t is from this that the most desir-
able strips of flesh for razor strops are
secured. The epidermis and the der
mis- are carefully removed together in
strip 1S inches by five inches. All fat
IL cut away and the strip is then put in
q strong solution of arsenic and water,
where it Is allowed to remain for about
five hours. It is now changed to q
weaker solution Of arsenic and left for
~ days.
Next It Is placed in secret solution,
which imparts additional firmness to
It, and is then stretched and tackled on
board to dry. Two days in the sun
IL required for the drying, and It is then
trimmed and cut to the required size. A
piece Of flesh of the size described will
shrink in the process of curing to four
teen by three and half inches.
Next 1t is thoroughly saturated with
linseed oil to soften 1t, and after being
rubbed hard with a smooth, round
stick. 1t is rendered remarkably fiexi-
BILE and ready for mounting. A piece
OF white linen duck is used for backing,
and the strip of flesh is pasted to It
with thin solution of furniture glue.
The two sides Of the strop are made one
OF black flesh and the other of white
flesh. The black flesh is prepared in
the same manner rs that of a white
mans skin. but It is more difficult to
treat.
The two strips OF human flesh are
pasted together back to back, and make
razor strop which is said by those
who have used them to be far superior
70 the ordinary razor strop Of leather.
The dark side is used to "start" and
the white side to Finish" the razor. Tho
advantages claimed are that it is softer
and more flexible, and that the pores
being closer together than in leather,
It offers greater resistance to the razor
and gives the blade better and more
lasting edge.-N. Y. Journal,