Human skin bookbinding

The Skin She Lived In: Anthropodermic Books in the Historical Medical Library

Staff Education and outreach, Out of the stacks, Voices from our collection October 1, 2015May 13, 2019Anthropodermic books, Dr. John Stockton Hough, History of medicine, History of the book, Human skin bookbinding

-by Beth Lander

On Wednesday, July 15, 1868, a 28 year old woman named Mary Lynch was admitted to Old Blockley, Philadelphia’s almshouse, officially known as Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH). Old Blockley was located at what is now the intersection of 34^th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, on the southeast corner of the University of Pennsylvania. Blockley was where you went when you could not afford care in a private hospital.

Exterior view of the Ward Building, Philadelphia General Hospital, 1888. PGH 1.23, Records of the Philadelphia General Hospital (1884-1941).

The Women’s Receiving Register from PGH lists a small amount of information for each patient: name, birthplace (a country, if other than the United States. Mary was born in Ireland.), age, temperate or intemperate habits (Were you a drunk, or not?), date of admission, ward, color and diagnosis.

Mary suffered from phthitis, an archaic term for tuberculosis of the lungs. She was listed as being of temperate habits.