Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1896-11-11
GRUEsoME RAZOR sTROPs.
Made of Human Skin by Impe czni0us
Medical Students.

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
corpcreal body by constant contact with
il in the edissecting-room,t that this razor
s,rop had its origin.
You never can tell to what heights OF
eudacity the average medical student
will reach in his professional profana-
ton of the ccrpses upon which he is
called to operate. This is proverbial the
world over, and it has come to pass that
he looks upon 9. human cadaver-it was
he who first called it "stiff''-as mere
lv a fieshlv commodity, which, the vital
spark once gone from it, becomes SO
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 is an actually. You are far wrong
It is in existence in New York
but the traffic in them Is carried on sur
reptitiously and as an occasional
means of helping so.ne poverty-stricken
~rned" to eke out a living.
1t is well known that in dissecting the
most delicate and finest of steel instru-
ments are us.ii. It is necessary to keeE
these Instruments extremely sharp
The ordinary coarse stone or strol
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-room. The pos
sibilities of this human flesh strop ap
peaied 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 a razor strop made of human
flesh.
One side of these strops is made Of
| black flesh and the other side of white
| flesh. 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
| in great demand.
| The leg skin is the part most priced.
as it is from this that the most desir.
! able strips of flesh for razor strops are
secured. The epdermis and the der.
| mis- are carefully removed together in Z
| strip 1s inches by five inches. All fat
is cut away and the strip is then put il:
| 4 strong solution of arsenic and water
| where it is allowed to remain for about
| five hours. 1t is now changed to =
weaker solution of arsenic and left for
! ~ days.
Next it is placed in a secret solution
which imparts additional firmness tc
! il, and is then stretched and tackled or
4 board to dry. Two days in the sur
is required for the drying. and it is ther
trimmed and cut to the required size 4
| piece of flesh of the. size described viii
shrink in the process Of curing to four
teen by three and a half inches.
Next it is thoroughly saturated Will
linsced oil to soften it, and after being
| rubbed hard with a smooth. round
stick, it is rendered remarkably fleNi
ble and ready for mounting. \ piece
! OF white linen duck is used for backing
end the strip of flesh is pasted to II
| with a 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 ir
the same manner rs that Of white
mans skin, bat !: ie n3re diffiY!It 4
treat.
The two strips Of human flesh are
pasted together back 20 Lack. and make
n razor strop w;iseh is said by thos'
who have used them tc be far superio,
to The ordinary razor strop of leather.
The dark side is used to ''staa.t" and
the white side to "flnish" the razor. The
advantages claimed are that it is softer
and more flexible. and that the pores
being closer together than i'll leather
it offers greater resistance to the razor
and gives the blade a better and more
lasting edge.-N. Y. Journal.