The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-05
HOSPITAL RELICS.
Odd Things to He Seen In a Great
London Establishment.

Odd Things to He Seen In a Great
London Establishment.
If the reader can imagine the cure Of
every one of the 100000 to 100000
persons living in London of some all
ment or disease he holds in his minds
eye true picture Of the vast work
done by Guys hospital since its founda
ton. The south sea bubble, like many
another financial catastrophe, ruined
thousands Of citizens, but 1t enabled
Thomas Guy, who sold his investments
in the stock to the great advantage of
other people as well as himself to
found the institution which bears his
name and to restore to health down to
the present time over 5000 900 human
beings.
Among the many curiosities exhibit
ed In the famous museum at Guys is
large piece of cardboard bearing the
remnants Of thirty-flve pocketknives,
which were swallowed by an American
sailor. His name was John Cummings,
and he was admitted to the hospital in
1922. A small book, containing also
the manuscript Of the printed copy.
narrates the particulars of this remark
able case, and it may be perused by
the privileged visitor to Guys.
1t appears that Cummings during
spree ashore challenged the feats of a
conjuror who had made a pretense of
swallowing knives. Encouraged by his
drunken comrades, the sailor actually
swallowed an opened pocketknife. to
the amazement Of the conjuror. Feel
ing no immediate pain, he put i've other
knives out of sight in the same way.
In two years time he had, in the course
of his drunken bouts, shown sufficient
bravado to enlarge his internal ar
mory by twenty nine additional knives.
When, after his foolishness had brought
him to the hospital and subsequently
to his grave, a postmortem examination
was made the thirty-fve knives were
removed from his stomach by the amaz-
ed surgeons.
These interesting relics are exhibited
among others in the surgical classroom,
whittier the students return from the
dissecting room to correct their impress
sions. Close by is another interesting
object, a glass case containing a num-
Der of what appear to be illuminated
parchments. The grewsome nature of
these exhibits grows upon the visitor
when he learns that they are simply
patches of tattooed human skin pre-
served in spirits. The inscription upon
each enables one to trace the occupa-
ton and character Of the unfortunate
patient from whom it was taken. One
was a colored sailor, a native of Afri-
ca. On some twelve square inches of his
skin is worked an artistic representa-
ton Of the most brilliant plumaged
birds known in the tropics.
Guys anatomical wax models are
said to be the finest in the world. One
of these is extremely valuable, the hos
pital authorities having refused the
sum of $1,000 offered for it by a for
eign medical celebrity. 1t is an alb
solutely perfect model of the upper ex-
tremity of the body, showing every
muscle. gland, vein, nerve and artery
1t took Joseph Towne. Il clever dem
| onStrator at Guys, fully two years to
| make it, but with him in 1879 also died
the secret of the process by which the
wonderful construction Of the human
| body was reproduced in wax with such
| marvellous fidelity.-London Standard.