To ask for your help disposing of a skeleton?

[Madders45]

I have a skeleton that I acquired when I was studying medicine in the early 80s. Back then it was compulsory to have one.

It’s not a whole skeleton - it’s the skull, spine, pelvic bone + one side of the body. So only one arm and one leg.

It’s now been in my attic for decades, as I’ve never known what to do with it really.

Dh and I have recently retired and are emigrating - I obviously have to dispose of it somehow.

I tried to persuade my daughter to put it in her loft, but she thinks it’s too ‘creepy’.

So I’ve tried googling how to dispose of it - one website said that under the new Health Tissue Act the best thing to do is to offer it to a licensed medical school. I’ve emailed my alma mater and a few other local unis, but they’ve either not replied or declined it.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Just adding my two cents from anatomy lessons:
Bones were very easy to deal with - they were actually the first part of the body we were introduced to - I believe that's because you don't usually see bones in living people, unless there's an ugly break.

Muscles were far more impacting (TW): There was still hair on the legs, and the way the leg was cut took with it one testicle and half the penis. What weirded me out the most was the toe nails, identical to those of someone alive.

Best thread title of the year so far

IIRC there are very strict rules about disposal of real human remains - the organisation I volunteer for recently found a number of real skeletons in buildings they were refurbing/selling off; luckily a senior volunteer was a pathologist so she got it sorted.

Contact your local hospital? They should have a licence of some sort.

@HoHoFuck yep, dissecting internal organs (in my case, horse) was far less weird to us than the leg dissection, because with hoof and hair on the legs looked exactly as they would have done a few hours ago, as we studied just down the road from the abbatoir on the live animal.

The smell! That's the thing about working with flesh, either preserved or fresh, it's the smell that got most of us!

MamaLovesMango I'd love to have seen the thief's face when he opened that particular bag! Wonder if he was frightened your dad might add him to the collection .

Add lights and baubles and chocolates and keep it instead of a tree for Christmas

or Halloween?

Is it awful that I really want a skeleton? 🤔

You don’t need one for med school but they are still useful to have one. Unis that do a lot of anatomy still eg Cardiff may be more keen. I teach 3rd years and am a consultant in a specialty involving bones & joints and would also happily look after it for you if you are anywhere near me.

Sea burial?

Why did medical students need to have their own skeleton and to take it home? Why didn’t they all just have access to skeletons in the within the medical school?

Offer it to an art school. We had one and used it as a subject for drawing practice.

OP It's such a coincidence that you have posted this. Yesterday there was a thread about the weirdest thing you have seen in anyone's home. I didn't post but it made me think about the half skeleton we used to have in the cupboard under our stairs. My DH was also medical student in the early 80's and, as you say, it was compulsory to have one. He was told it was the skeleton of an Indian flood victim. I hadn't really give it much thought over the years but one evening we had friends over for dinner and the subject of the skeleton under the stairs came up. Our friends, particularly the female friend, were completely creeped out by it, and I suppose it was rather strange. I hadn't thought about that skeleton for 25+ years and now, 2 days running, it has come to mind.

My husband donated his to a medical school back in the mid 90's. I hope you find a good home for yours.

Oh Gawd - poor you. Can you ask your vicar for advice? I think I'd probably have a bonfire and reverently cremate and scatter.

You could walk round with it. When people ask you what it is / what you’re doing with it, you could tell them that it’s your imaginary friend.

Is it true that human fat looks like smooth peanut butter?

Quite, @CheshireCat! As a family, we were sad to see old Fred go Don’t ask me why Dad was carrying him around in a bag, I have no idea!

Is it true that human fat looks like smooth peanut butter?

I imagine mine does

Sorry for that. As you were.

Stick it in a bin bag and go to the tip

Can't help wondering what happened to all the spare arms and legs from all of the half skeletons that people had!
I seem to remember physio student friends on this era did dissection on already-removed arms and legs, so maybe they used additional limb bones too?

Is it true that human fat looks like smooth peanut butter?
Not when you're alive - after a friend had a NASTY gash in his abdomen and you could see the layers.

I have a relative who trained as a medic in the late 70's/early 80's and I recall them complaining about the cost of the skeleton they were expected to buy at the time (I don't know why they were expected to have their own skeleton) and the discussions around half skeletons and the students who could afford a full skeleton.

I can't recall if they actually bought one themselves in the end, I will have to ask them now.

The last person to buy a skeleton (presumably plastic) that I know of was studying physiology/sport science, if you know anyone doing that.

You could contact the Human Tissue Authority to ask their advice

My dad was a medical student in the 1950s and he still has the skeleton (or parts of it) that he used to study from. They have always been kept in a drawer in his study (including the skull) and one of our favourite things as kids was to show it off to our friends. My dad wasn't that keen, I always thought because he didn't want us to break it. I had never thought, and I'm sure he hasn't, about issues disposing of it. It has holes drilled in the bones so they can be wired together for display, which might let you off the murder charges...