The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-09
FACTORY ron MAKING SKELETONS
a Queer Concern That Exists In Lon
don.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.

ed the majority of the skeletons owned by
doctors, anatomical museums, etc. 1t has
existed for some time, but never before
has the public been made aware of the
fact.
At the English hospitals dissection is
not allowed, so all unclaimed bodies are,
after the lapse of a certain time, trans
ferred to the medical schools, where in
the dissecting pavilions they become sub
iects," and the students are taught the
science of anatomy by means OF these real
stic object lessons. The medical schools
have no means of utilizing the bones of
the subjects. and so when the operation
of dissection 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
| crossbones are truly emblematic of the
| institutions character
The factory which was visited by the
writer who therefore tells only that which
| he saw and has learned authoritatively,
| is conducted on as strict a system the
most punctilious business house In the
United kingdom. Never was the old adage
| "A place for everything and everything in
| its place." more strikingly exemplitied
| Every bone of the human body has it's
particular place, but when l had complet-
| ed my inspection the fact was forced upon
me that hardly single skeleton among
| the countless ones that we see from time
nature originally placed together.
In addition to the bodies that are sent
| to the factory from the dissecting school,
l learned that travellers often have the
curious desire to secure what they know
are genuine skeletons Of inhabitants of
| faraway countries. Therefore they OBJ
tain bodies of such persons, and. after
having them embalmed send them to
London agents of the skeleton factory,
| who at once see to 1t that the desire of
| the shipper is carried out. Many such
skeletons are to be seen to-day in the
| anthorpological museums In different parts
| of the world.
1t takes twelve months TO put the hui
| man 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 subjects is consigned to a tank.
| When the bones have been thoroughly
cleansed they are turned over to skilled
| anatomists who wire them together 80
/ strongly that each is sure to retain its
proper place.
1t is not always the case that the bones
are wired together by the anatomsts as
| soon as they are In proper condition. A
| visit Ttpaid to the stock rooms of the fac
/ tory indicated that There were shelves
| upon shelves on which were arranged
/ with grewsome regularity skulls chat
seemed to represent every type of human
| ity that has ever existed. Some of them
| had been, for one reason or another, brok-
| en- into pieces, and were held in proper
| semblance by fine brass wires.
| Beneath these shelves, ranging upward
| from the floor to a hight OF about four
| feet, were huge drawers filled with bones
| of every description, although they were
| not fixed together, but the different sorts
| scrupulousy kept by themselves. There
| were vast heaps of ribs and high bones.
| Every one OF the bones in these drawers
/ was iettered and numbered, so that when
| the 9natomists desired to wire skeleton
they would simply write out an order for
| exactly what they wanted by number and
| letter, and the component parts of the
| skeleton were soon brought to them by
one of the workmen.
| Not the least important feature of the
skeleton factory is the task Of the work
men who make 1t possible for the anato-
mists to wire the bones together. 1t may
easily be understood that in every bone
| there must be bored a hole at each end
\ of sufficient size to permit the passage
| through of a wire. This is a very delicate
| task, for the bones split easily, and ordi-
narily, when once split they are useless.
In the workrooms where the more del
| icate portion of the task of placing the
| skeletons together Is performed the sight
| grewsomeness. Here an anatomist Is en-
| gagged in putting together the various
| bones which go to make up the hand. An
| other is putting the finishing touch on
| the bones of the foot just as the shoe
| maker carefully examines the shoe before
/ he turns 1t 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 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 showroom of the factory indicates
perhaps better than all else the exceeding
ly businesslilte methods OF the establish
ment. 1t Is very large and light and lined
| with glass cases containing specimen
skeletons of giants. dwarfs and strange
| races discovered by travellers in foreign
| lands. Then there are skeletons of GRIM
mails with the name, date OF execution
and a record Of their crimes on attached
| labels; skeletons Of males and females
/ or all ages; shelves OF baby skeletons,
huge Of head and small OF body, and 9TH
| ers of all sorts.
IL was a strange place. and the strangest
| Of all things to me was the absolute nom
chalence Of everybody about. They ap-
peared 10 consider the skeleton business
| nothing more out OF the ordinary than
the selling OF dry goods or the manufac-
turing OF toys. ] do not believe that one
OF the persons In this place over which,
Il seemed to me, the shadows Of death
\ and the funeral pail Always hung. had any
| OF that physical fear Of the discarded NOR
tai tenement that exists In the heart OF
almost every one.
I learned In the course OF investigating
the matter that the London skeleton fac
tory Is an offshot Of a parent estab lish-
ment IN Paris which existed for nearly a
century. / also learned that a similar In
stituton was In fun operation IN New
| York. and that both places were as busy
as they could possibly be filling the or
ders. This Is perhaps accounted for by the
statement 10 me by well-posted men that
| 1000 skeletons year are needed 70 sup
| ply the demand Personally. I think this
II an exaggeration. but the demand a.
certainly very great.
The Partisan factory r. under govern
ment supervision, but It's secret ~ well
guarded, and few persons know Of Its ex-
istence outside the pale Of those who have
daily business connection Herewith. The