January 17, 1896.] 



SCIENGE. 



81 



With regard to the protection whicli a 

 properly framed law aifords to the coni- 

 munity, it may be stated that it is within 

 the information of the committee and also 

 it may be said of the public that the body of 

 a member of the family of one of the 

 highest officers of the land was found in 

 the dissecting room of a medical college. 

 In the State in which this family resided 

 there was at that time no Anatomical Law 

 in. existence. Since then one has been en- 

 acted, and the repetition of such an occur- 

 rence as that referred to is not possible 

 under its provisions. 



Since the prepai-ation of this report was 

 begun it has been reported in the daily 

 papers that a physician residing in one of 

 the Western States has been convicted for 

 the desecration of a grave, by the removal 

 of the body which it contained, and which 

 was to be used for dissection, and has been 

 sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 

 three years. In the State in which this oc- 

 curred, there is, so far as the committee 

 knows, no Law governing the use of dead 

 human bodies for the promotion of medical 

 science. These instances afford, the com- 

 mittee thinks, in a very forcible manner, evi- 

 dence of the protection which would be fur- 

 nished to both the community and the profes- 

 sion by the provisions of a properly framed 

 Anatomical Law. Attention has been 

 called to the fact that in a number of exist- 

 ing laws their provisions on examination 

 were found to be defective. In some in- 

 stances they were so inadequate as to 

 render the execution of the law practically 

 impossible, and in other cases to make the 

 law inoperative. On this point the com- 

 mittee feels it proper to express an opinion 

 to the effect that the requirements of any 

 law which is to be enacted should be made 

 compulsory, and not optional, as to perform- 

 ance of dutj' on the part of public officers. 

 It thinks that sufficient exfierience has been 

 obtained in the effort to secure compliance 



with the terms of Anatomical Laws to 

 make it evident that under such conditions 

 only can the proper supply of Anatomical 

 material be obtained. In any law enacted 

 it also believes that proper protection should 

 be afforded the public as well as the profes- 

 sion in strict specification as to the right of 

 claim for burial. This right should be 

 limited to relatives either by blood or mar- 

 riage. 



In this way claims made by organizations 

 and individuals moved by feelings of 

 sentiment would be disposed of. In almost 

 all States, if not indeed in all, legal pro- 

 visions are in force which control the 

 burial of the bodies of certain individuals, 

 notably war veterans. 



With i-egard to any other claims by or- 

 ganizations or individuals, it would be 

 proper to leave them to the discretion of 

 those having charge of the execution of the 

 requirements of the law. A spirit of con- 

 ciliation and a regard for public sentiment 

 should always actuate those concerned in 

 the execution of the law, in order, so far as 

 possible, that anj' feelings of antagonism or 

 hostilit}^ should be removed. As stated 

 above, it should be the duty of members of 

 the medical profession to educate public 

 sentiment and obtain in every State enact- 

 ment of a law which will control the use of 

 dead human bodies for the promotion of 

 medical science. At this time of writing 

 the daily papers contain an account of the 

 action \>j the Governor of a Western State, 

 who has been compelled to call upon the 

 military force to protect a medical college, 

 which has been threatened by a mob. In 

 this case the trouble has been caused by 

 the discovering in the dissecting room of the 

 college of bodies removed from a cemetery 

 adjacent to the city in which the college is 

 situated. Here is plainly made manifest 

 the necessity of a law to protect both the 

 public and the profession. An examination 

 of the laws now in force in the States in this 



