>From: IN%"[log in to unmask]" "Archives & Archivists" 4-OCT-1996 06:58:57.77 >Subj: RE: how to clean skeleton > >---------------------- Information from the mail header ----------------------- >Sender: Archives & Archivists <[log in to unmask]> >Poster: Carole Nowicke <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: how to clean skeleton >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >I think that I'd probably talk to folks at the Smithsonian rather than >Mr. McCormick. Frightening the staff, indeed. > >The SI puts those pesky dermestid beetles to work cleaning off the odd >bits of flesh and hair. Then they kill the beetles lest they run amok in >the museum. > >Carole E. Nowicke >Assistant Librarian >Indiana Prevention Resource Center <http://www.drugs.indiana.edu> >[log in to unmask] <http://ezinfo.ucs.indiana.edu/~cnowicke> Since Halloween approaches, and someone has raised the lid on the macabre, how about this: our collection contains _LIDOLATRIE HUGUENOTE_ (Lyon: Pierre Rigaud, 1608) bound in human skin. That's right, human skin (it has been assayed by a medical lab). Any of you folks know how common such bindings are? We imagine that some luckless "heretic" came to a bad end, but there must be more to the story than that... It's the season of library exercises here, and we have a stream of freshmen asking "what's the most unusual item in Special Collections?" It would be nice to have something to say about it other than "it was a period of religious civil wars in France." Thanks in advance, and apologies to the squeamish. Ed Frank Special Collections U of Memphis