The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-07-21
MUST ENFORCE STATE LAWS
County Agent Jones is Advised That
Bodies of Paupers May Not be Buried
at Expense of County Unless by Re
quest of Deceased

A radical change is to be made in
the disposal Of the bodies of paupers
and strangers who may die in Kenosha,
and their bodies left for burial at the
expense of the county as County Clerk
Jones has had his attention called to
the provisions of one of the laws of
1903 which provides for the turning
over of bodies of paupers to the state
medical institute for anatomical uses
In past years this law has never been
enforced and the cost of the burial of
paupers is left to be paid by the county
agent. Under the law the County
Agent has no choice but to notify the
agents of the University of Wisconsin
or The Milwaukee Medical College, or
the Wisconsin College of Physicians
and Surgeons in Milwaukee, that such
person has died and that the body
of the deceased is held pending the
order of these Institutions The state
law provides that the institutions de-
string the bodies for scientific research
shall pay all the expenses of the trans
portation of the bodies from Kenosha
to Milwaukee and Madison and in adj
dition to this the institutions must fur
nish boxes for the shipment of the bod
les which shall be entirely in keeping
with the rules Of the Wisconsin State
Health department.
The law states specifically that any
pauper may refuse to have his body
turned over to an anatomical laboratory
but he must make known his wishes
in this regard. In case he shall request
the burial of his remains his request
must be followed by the county ofic-
ials. However in case of the absence
Of such a request under the law, the
County Agent must make an effort to
find the relatives of the deceased and
If these people decline to take care of
the remains after forty-eight hours it
must be sent to one of the medical col
leges When the body is received at
the medical college it must be embalm-
ed and kept for period of twelve days
before it is dismembered and used for
scientific research At any time dur
ing this twelve day period the relatives
of the deceased may claim the body
and have it sent back to the city or
county from which it was taken to
either Milwaukee or Madison.
The officials of the institutions re-
ceiving the bodies are required by the
law to give a decent burial to all por-
tions of the bodies not properly used
for scientific purposes
This plan of disposing of the bodies
of paupers has been in force in Racine
county for some time and it is claimed
that it has resulted in the saving of a
large amount of money to the taxpay-
ers of that county The Milwaukee
medical colleges have constantly in
waiting in the keeping of the Racine
county agent a casket in which the re
mains of pauper may be shipped to
Milwaukee and all charges for the dis
poSaI Of the bodies are paid by the
Milwaukee institutions.
The bodies may also be shipped from
other states to the institutions in Wis
consin but Wisconsin officials may not
Ship bodies from Wisconsin to any other
state. The official may not accept any
thing in pay for such a body but should
he fail to observe the law when call
has been made by any Of the institu-
tions for bodies he is subject to fine
of $50 for each offense. This practic-
ally leaves the County Agent without
a choice and he must ship all bodies
not claimed by relatives to the institu-
tions named in the law.