Harvard University said it has removed human skin from the binding of a 19th-century book about life after death that It belonged to his collection since the 1930s. The decision came after a review found ethical concerns regarding the book’s origin and history.
The book ‘Des Destinées de L’âme’ (‘The destinies of the soul’) was written in the early 19th century by the French novelist and poet Arsène Houssaye. The printed text was given to doctor Ludovic Bouland, who “bound the book with skin that he took without consent from the corpse of a patient in a hospital where she worked,” Harvard detailed in a recent statement. The book has been in the Houghton Library of that university.
Bouland added a handwritten note to the book. It reads that “a book about the human soul deserved a human cover,” Thomas Hyry, associate librarian at the University, said in a question-and-answer segment posted online. The note also detailed the process of preparing the leather for binding.
A scientific analysis carried out in 2014 confirmed that the binding was made from human skin, the University reported.
In its statement, Harvard added that the library noted several ways in which its management practices failed to meet its ethical standards.
Until relatively recently, the library had made the book available to anyone who asked for it, regardless of the reason for looking at it,” Harvard said.
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“Library lore indicates that, decades ago, students employed to arrange the collections on Houghton’s shelves were confused when asked for the book without being told that it included human remains.”
When tests confirmed that the book was bound with human skin, “the library made posts on Houghton’s blog that used a sensationalist, morbid and humorous tone that provoked similar coverage in international media,” according to the University in your statement.
The removed skin is now in a “secure storage at Harvard Library”Anne-Marie Eze, associate librarian at Houghton Library, said in the clothing and response session.
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