Nigel Masters is a retired general medical practitioner.
This original half skeleton (Figure 1), stored in our attic, became part of our family history. It might be considered a medical heirloom: my grandfather, father, uncles, brother, and cousin all used it while studying for medical examinations. Once a practical teaching aid, it has since been superseded by full-size articulated plastic models and is now more of a relic.
It remains in a plain wooden box, probably the original, cushioned by faded, mahogany-coloured newspaper dated 1963. The outside of the box bears the faded stamp of Adam, Rouilly & Co., medical suppliers of educational materials worldwide since 1918.1
The skull is split, the jaw is articulated, and some parts are marked or painted. Several spinal vertebrae are joined with twine, resembling a segmented wooden toy snake. A single foot and matching hand, each made up of individual bones, are held together with threaded string. There are also long bones, including a femur and humerus, though the tendon and muscle attachment sites have long since been rubbed away. A hyoid bone is embedded in clear plastic, rather like an ornate paperweight, to prevent degradation because it is cartilage rather than bone. In the past, such bones were obtained from the Indian subcontinent,2 but that practice has long since ended. I decided it was time to find a resting place for this box of bones.
Finding a future home
In 2021, the Medical Defence Union (MDU) published guidance on storing and disposing such material.3 The Human Tissue Authority’s remit is defined by the Human Tissue Act 2004, and its advice is that bones should be disposed of sensitively, with respect and dignity.4 Licensed mortuaries may be able to advise on separate incineration or burial. The MDU also suggests passing bones on to an aspiring medical student, but my daughter, a physiotherapist, was unimpressed by their value for medical learning and thought they belonged in a bin!
Fortunately, the Gordon Museum of Pathology at Guy’s Campus, part of King’s College London GKT School of Medical Education, has accepted this box of bones, and I plan to deliver it there for safekeeping in the next few weeks. In the end, my daughter used a full-sized anatomical plastic skeleton for her intensive physiotherapy course and simply sold it on when it was no longer needed.
References
1. Adam,Rouilly. Our history. https://adam-rouilly.co.uk/about-us/our-history (accessed 28 Sep 2026).
2. Agarwal SC. The bioethics of skeletal anatomy collections from India. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1): 1692.
3. Medical Defence Union. Storing and disposing of human skeletons and material. 2021. https://www.themdu.com/guidance-and-advice/guides/storing-and-disposing-of-human-skeletons-and-material (accessed 28 Sep 2026).
4. Human Tissue Authority. Storage of human material for teaching by schools and colleges. https://www.hta.gov.uk/guidance-professionals/guidance-sector/public-display/storage-human-material-teaching-schools-and-colleges (accessed 28 Sep 2026).
Featured photo by Takafumi Yamashita on Unsplash.
