OCR Text |
Show SKELETON MARKET. UNCLE SAM IS THE CHAMPION BON& COLLECTOR OF THE WORLD. fpeclmens From the Lowest Fish es to the XJsman Species Found In the Rational Museum Bones Used as Fertilizers-" -Mar Vet Value of Skeletons. Funk island that is, a part of it tias been reproduced for exhibition at (he National museum at "Washington. It was on that lonely rock, 82 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, that the now extinct great auk had its principal roost. Fifty years ago the last individual of the species perished. It is represented uow by a skeleton, worth $000, stand lug by a heap of bird remains such a? chiefly compose the surface soil of Funk Island, while alongside is an egg of the fowl, valued at $1,500, together wifi tho inner skin of another egg. The Ns-tional Ns-tional museum possesses nearly all o-the o-the great auk bones in existence. They ire the most costly bones in the world The finest collection of skeletons in the world is also stored at the National museum. They run upward from the lowest fishes, through the reptiles and birds, to man. Human bones are much cheaper than those "of many other animals. ani-mals. One can buy a nicely articulated skeleton of a man for $40 or of a woman for $50 sex makes some difference i the price whereas the skeleton of gorilla costs $300, of a whale $150, of an elephant $400, of a lion $75, of a horse $70, of a cat $12 and of a python $75. The bones of a human being are nearly near-ly one-quarter water during the life of the individual. They are chiefly cpm-posed cpm-posed of phosphate of lime, but contain a good deal of animal matter and other elements. In the skeleton of a man are nearly four pounds of the metal calcium, cal-cium, which is many times more valuable valu-able than gold, being worth $300 an ounce. Thus in the osseous framework of the average tramp may be found material ma-terial with a market value of about $18,000, if it could be separated. It is only in bones that phosphate of lime is found in anything like a pui'9 6tate. Everybody knows the value of that material as a fertilizer, but it is only recently that human skeletons have been imported into this conntry to grow crops with. Not- long ago a shipment ship-ment was made from Mexico to the United States of 10 carloads of human bones, said to have been obtained from ancient mounds in southern Mexico, but more probably gathered from various vari-ous old and abandoned cemeteries. As these remains were fragments of unassorted unas-sorted skeletons, it was estimated that 60,000 individuals were represented in the lot. This would not be considered a novel ty in Europe. Years ago English farmers farm-ers used human bones to some extent to fertilize their land. The battlefield of Waterloo was for a time the base of supplies, sup-plies, and this was supplemented by cargoes cf mummies from Egypt ground to a fine powder. In ancient Egyptian tombs are found great numbers of copper boxes, opening at one end by a slide, which contain mummies of cats, hawks, ibises ana now and then snakes and small crocodiles. croco-diles. Mummies are a recognized commercial com-mercial article in that country today. For long tiino Innnmotives were run between Cairo and Suez with no other fuel. Corpses of royal personages 8,000 years old and upward fetch high prices, A year ago tho Austrian bark Vila was deserted by her crew. Later she was picked up as a derelict off. Cape Hatteras. Her cargo was found to consist con-sist in largo part of bones, and of these one-fourth were human. The rest wa9 composed mainly of the bones of horsef and cattle. In one corner of her hold was a great heap of human skulls. Nobody No-body knows to this day why the crow deserted the vessel in midocean. She was worth $40,000, including rer freight. The bones had been collected In deserts tad cemeteries of Egypt. The preparation of human skeletons for market mar-ket is quite an industry. The chief center cen-ter for this branch of commercial Activity Activ-ity is Paris, where three concerns are engaged in the business on a considerable scale. They obtain the requisite supplies of raw material in the shape of bodies from public institutions, most of them being those of paupers and criminals. In the United States the existing laws would not permit the establishment of A factory for bleaching and preparing human skeletons. The only sort of skeleton produced here is of the family type, which is kept in the closet To supply tbe demand in this country about 1,500. skeletons are imported annually. an-nually. This reckoning does not include minor parts, such as. skulls and thigh bones. These are in great request by secret se-cret societies, being absolutely indis pensable for initiatory ceremonies. One may purchase a cranium and crossbunes for only $10. But if you want some thing really fancy in the way of a skull you must pay $40. It is worth the money, however, being beautifully dia articulated, so that each particular bone may be studied separately, including even the little bones of the ear. You can buy a very good skeleton complete for $40. A plain skull costs only $6. By students of obstetrics there is a ppecial demand for the pelvis, which comes at $7. Clubs organized to defy superstitious beliefs affect the use of 6kulls for drinking cups, and young men who are studying for the medical profession indulge a ghastly humor by employing similar receptacles to hold tobacco. The demand for human bonea always exceeds the supply. New York World. |