Harvard says it removed human skin from 19th-century book binding

Harvard University says it has had a 19th-century book about the afterlife in its collection since the 1930s, with human skin removed from the cover. The decision came after a review found ethical issues with the book’s origins and history.

The book “Des Destinees de L’ame,” which means “The Destinies of the Soul,” was written in the early 1880s by French novelist and poet Arsene Houssaye. Harvard said in a recent statement that the printed text was given to a doctor named Ludovic Bouland, who “received it without consent from the hospital where he worked.” The book was bound by skin removed from the body of a deceased female patient.” in the university’s Houghton Library.

Boland included a handwritten note in the book. “A book about the human soul should have a human cover,” Thomas Hyry, associate dean of university libraries, said during a question-and-answer session posted online on Wednesday. The instructions also detail the process of preparing the skin for binding.

Scientific analysis conducted in 2014 confirmed that the binding was made from human skinthe university said.

Harvard said in a statement that the library was aware of several areas where its management practices failed to meet ethical standards.

“Until recently, libraries have made this book available to anyone who wanted it, regardless of their reason for wishing to access it,” Harvard said. “Library lore suggests that decades ago, someone employed at Students who turned pages from the Houghton library were mortified when they were asked to retrieve the book without being told it contained human remains.”

The university said in a statement that when tests confirmed the book was bound in human skin, “the library published posts on Horton’s blog that used a lurid, morbid and humorous tone, prompting similar international media coverage.” .”

Anne-Marie Eads, deputy director of the Houghton Library, said during a question-and-answer session that the removed skin is now “securely in storage at Harvard Libraries.”

The library said it will conduct more research on the book, Boland and the anonymous female patient. It is also working with French authorities to determine a “final respectful disposition”.

Harvard said a review by the library after Harvard released a report in 2022 about human remains in its museum collections prompted the library to conduct the skinning surgery.

Harvard University’s statement said: “The Harvard Library and Harvard Museums Collection Return Committee has concluded that the human remains used in the book’s binding no longer belong to the Harvard Library due to ethical issues surrounding the book’s origins and subsequent history. Collection.”