Judging the Quality of a Skeleton
Of all the things people feel self-conscious about with our bodies, the last thing that would cross our minds is the quality of our bones. A “first class” skeleton, or “case of bones” would cost $300 in the late 1800’s, which is closer to $8,000 today, after inflation. A skeleton was considered to be “first class” if all of the bones could be assembled from the same person, and they were in good condition without any kinds of deformities or abnormalities. However, there were times when a dead person’s body parts may have been missing from an amputation, and bones would have to be swapped out and exchanged from other people.If someone’s body was deformed in some way, but not enough to be considered a medical abnormality, it was considered to be far less valuable than a perfect skeleton. For example, when women wore corsets, their ribcages would become deformed. These imperfect skeletons were only worth half $150, or $4,000 in today’s money.
During the early 1900’s, bone collectors became a bit more educated about what to expect from the quality of their skeletons. They no longer wanted to buy the bones of British people, because they were often stunted from malnutrition, and usually had a yellow tint. The French, on the other hand, could be cleaned to be sterling white, and usually grew just fine. Proper nutrition and working conditions contribute to the quality of someone’s skeleton. The methods in which the skeletons were preserved also made a huge difference in the quality, and the French had perfected the morbid art form.