The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1899-04-15
BONES FROM oMDURMAN.
First Consignment of DervIsh skoietonI
Arrive in London,


There has just arrived IN Iaadon
the first consignment of deryish skei-
etons from the battlefield of Omdur-
man. says the London Daily Mail.
There Is no outward and visible sign
In London Of a brisk market IN ana
tomlcal human bones. Indeed, public
sentiment might receive a shock were
a central depot or building to be cs-
taDllsned for the necessary traffic and
barter In skeletons. Nevertheless the
metropolitan skeleton market ia steady
ana lucrative enough, though no sales
are advertised or auctions announced.
10 secure a constant supply of skele-
IONS up to the mark of trade stand
aros and technical requirements ia net
an easy matter. For no bona, however
'lny' must be missing, since an incom-
plete Dony scaffolding would be value
less to the medical student. A vido-
spread belief exists that skeletons ero
optalned from the unclaimed bodies OF
and hospital tnmates To
some extent this is true, for such
bodies, after use in the dissectinq-
room, furnish further useful object
lessons. But the number of I'M
claimed bodies is small ompared with
the demand for skeletons, so that deal
ers must go further afeld in their
search for medical school material. A
Dig pattle offers an obviously large
harvest of skeletons, and already some
of the dervishes killed at Omdurman
nave found a market in one of the
LONDON hospitals. 1t is only right to
state that there is not the slightest
possible chance Of a British soldier
having been converted into a market
able skeleton. Due and careful pre-
cautions were taken to prevent such a
contingency, so hat any surviving
bones from the Soudan victory are
only those of the fighting dervish. One
OF the principal dealers In London
states that these fine, athletic dervish-
es make the finest skeletons ever mt
on the zone market. 1t is not so easy
TO insure a supply of ~well-develoDed
skeletons" he says, "for many of these
are obtained from the stunted. half
starved type which ends it's days-un-
ohu uuCdTeu IOr-ln q casual
ward or hospital. The dervish offers
a rare opportunity in skeletons. end
though the expense of transport ia
very great, the type of skeleton he
makes Is sure to command a price
sumc1ently high to cover the extra cost
OF freight. Only a small percentage
nave come to London-the rest have
been distributed among the other large
european cities, such as Vienna, Berlin.
and Paris. Great care has to be aiken
In selecting specimens from a battle
neld, for those with shattered or brok-
en- bones will not furnish an entire
skeleton. OF course there Is ALWAYS
a sale for skulls and single bones, but
the aim of those who supply anatomic-
al dealers Is to obtain entire and per-
rect skeletons, for these naturally bring
q higher price. After the Franco
Prussian war the skeleton trade babe
fair to be overstocked, and dealers
held back their surplus stock, lest
prices should be too much cut There
was not a single German skeleton Of
fered-it is always the vanquished who
come to an anatomical end. It's a
curious thing" continued the connois-
seur in bones, that the skeletons of
Frenchmen should be so much whittier
than British bones"