Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-11
4 SKELETON FACTORY.
a Visit to q Remarkable Establishment in
the Heart Of London.


has existed for some time, but never
before has the public been made aware
of the fact. It's story is told here for
the first time, and the facts presented
explain in large measure what has
heretofore been one of the mysteries.
Never was Masonic secret more care
fully guarded than this one, which in
cluded the location and methods of this
skeleton factory. 1t is certain that
many of the medical men, in fact, the
greater proportion, who are customers
of the skeleton factory, are in complete
ignorance of it's existence. They know
that certain persons can supply them
with skeletons all wired and ready for
use. They are wise enough to ask M
questions, for if the story that lies be-
hind every skeleton were told, many a
tale Of savagery and of wanton desc
Grafton would be revealed that it is
better should be kept secret.
At the English hospitals dissection is
not allowed. so all unclaimed bodies
are, after the lapse of a certain time,
transferred to the medical schools,
where, in the dissecting pavilions, they
become Subjects" and the students
are taught the science of anatomy by
The medical schools have no means Of
utilizing the bones of the subjects, and
so, when the operation of dissecting is
completed, the subject is turned over
to the Representatives of the skeleton
factory and promptly shipped by them
to the place where the skull and cross
bones are truly emblematic OF the in
stitution's character.
En- ;oI, CT cd NV 40
writer, who therefore tells only that
which he saw and learned authorita
lively, is conducted on as strict sys-
tenn as the most punctilious business
house in the United Kingdom. Never
was the old adage, "a place for every
thing and everything in it's place" more
strikingly eXemplified. Every bone of
the human body has it's particular
place, but when I had completed my in
spection the fact was forced upon ME
that hardly single skeleton among
the countless ones that we see from
time to time is composed Of the bones
which nature originally placed to-
gether.
In addition to the bodies that are sent
to the factory from the dissecting
school I learned that travellers often
they know are genuine skeletons of in
habitants of far away countries.
Therefore, they obtain bodies Of such
persons, and after having them en-
balmed send them to London agents Of
the skeleton factory, who at cnce see
to it that the desire of the shipper is
carried out. Many such skeletons are
to be seen today in the anthropological
- h.
world.
1t takes u months to put the human
bones in proper condition for wiring.
The first step after the Subject reaches
the factory is to cleanse the bones of
the flesh. The subjects are therefore
placed in tanks filled with water and
picnic acid. The next process is that of
boiling in strong soda water, after which
the subject is consigned to tank. When
the bones have been thoroughly cleansed
they are turned over to skilled anato-
mists,w who wire them together SO strongly
that each is sure to retain its proper
place.
1t is not always the case that the bones
are wired together by the anatomist as
soon as they are in proper condition. A
visit paid to the stock rooms of the fac
tory indicated that. There were shelves
upon shelves on which were arranged
with grewsome regularity skulls that
seemed to represent every type of hui
manity that has ever existed Some of
them had been for one reason or another,
broken into pieces and were held in prop
er semblance by fine brass wires.
Beneath these shelves, ranging upward
from the floor to q height of about four
feet We're huge drawers filled with bones
of every description, although they were
not fixed together, but the different sorts
scrupulously kept by themselves. There
were vast heaps of ribs and thigh bones.
Every one of the bones in these drawers
was lettered and numbered, so that when
the anatomists desired to wire a skeleton
they would simply write out an order for
what they wanted, by number and letter,
and the component parts of the skeletons
were soon brought to them by the work
men.
Not the least important feature of the
skeleton factory is the task of the work
men who make it possible for the anat-
omists to wire the bones together. Ii
may easily be understood that in every
bone there must be bored a hole at each
end of sufficient size to permit the pas
sage through of wire. This is a very
delicate. task, for the bones SPIT easily.
and ordinarily when split they are use
less.
In the workrooms where the more del
icate portion of the task of placing the
skeletons together is performed, the
sight is so odd tina one really forgets its
greWSomeness. Here an anatomist is en-
gagged IN putting together. the various
bones which go to make up the hand.
Another is putting the finishing touch
on the bones of the foot. just as the
shoemaker carefully examines the shoe
before he turns it over to his assistant to
be made presentable. When the task OF
the anatomist is completed, the skeleton
is taken into an adjoining apartment and
mounted on a stand attached to an iron
rod, or the ring which is inserted into the
skull is placed upon a hook at the end OF
a rope which depends from the ceiling
and hangs suspended.
The show room of the factory indicates
perhaps better than all else, the exceed
ingly business-like methods of the estab-
lishment. 1t is very large and light and
lined with glass cases, containing speci.
men skeletons Of giants, dwarfs, negroes
and strange races discovered by travel.
ers in foreign lands. Then there are skel-
etons of criminals with the name, date OF
execution and a record of their crimes or
attached labels; skeletons Of males anc
females of all ages; shelves of baby skel.
etons. huge of head and small of body
and others of all sorts.
1t was strange place and the strang.
est OF all things to me was the absolute
nonchalance of everybody about. They
appeared to consider the skeleton bust
ness nothing more out of the ordinary
than the selling of dry goods or the
manufacturing of toys. I do not believe
that one of the persons in this place ovel
which, it seemed to me, the shadow o.
death and the funeral pail always hung