The Morthouse

This must be the cover of some punk or hardcore 7”, somewhere.

Cover of LIFE magazine, October 31, 1960. Photo by George Silk. Source: LIFE Photo Archive, hosted by Google.

io9: The Awesomely Insane Heaven and Hell Nightclubs of 1890s Paris.

Child skeletons (National Museum of Health and Medicine) by Prof. Jas. Mundie (James G. Mundie) on Flickr.

Rudolf Schiestl: Der Tod von Basel, ca. 1910. Via Wikipedia.

This is the head of Porsmose Man, a skeletonized bog body found in 1946 near the town of Næstved in Denmark.

As fucked up as that arrowhead through the nasal cavity looks, that’s not even what killed him. Rather, he was killed by an arrow through the breastbone that pierced his aorta. The arrows were likely fired from above, at a close distance. Archaeologists suspect he was either surprised by his attackers or was the victim of an execution. In either case, he was thrown in a lake.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Granville Perkins, “Horrible death—a man eaten by rattlesnakes, near West Chazy, Clinton Co., N.Y., 1859. Source: New York Public Library on Flickr.

Treponematosis by museumoflondon on Flickr:

Adult female aged over 45 years at death with pitted lesions to the cranial bones suggestive of syphilis. This individual had also undergone autopsy as is shown by the cut mark from a craniotemy.

Pretty much the coolest thing I’ve seen all week.

Pipe notch by museumoflondon on Flickr:

Adult male skeleton showing wear pattern to teeth resulting from long term pipe smoking

Phossy Jaw by museumoflondon on Flickr:

Left mandible of 19th century male aged 26-35 years at death with bone changes suggesting possible phossy jaw.

“Phossy Jaw” (phosphorus necrosis of the jaw) was an occupational disease that afflicted 19th- and early-20th-century workers in match factories. It was caused by exposure to white phosphorous. From Wikipedia:

Those with phossy jaw would begin suffering painful toothaches and swelling of the gums. Over time, the jaw bone would begin to abscess. Affected bones would glow a greenish-white colour in the dark. It also caused serious brain damage. Surgical removal of the afflicted jaw bones could save the patient; otherwise, death from organ failure would follow. The disease was extremely painful and disfiguring to the patient, with dying bone tissue rotting away accompanied by a foul-smelling discharge.

The dangerous conditions that led to Phossy Jaw were among the reasons for the 1888 London matchgirls’ strike.

Tuberculosis by museumoflondon on Flickr:

The upper spine of an individual dated to the 19th century showing severe destruction and collapse (Pott’s disease) through tuberculosis infection.

Interesting post on the Museum of London’s site about an event that was held in April about Victorian bones and diseases:

The Victorian period was a time of great change.  In London, the expanding city saw massive population growth and the development of new industries that were to alter the shape of the city forever.

With this change came an increased pressure on resources, leading to poor sanitation, overcrowded living conditions, increased pollution, poor diet and working conditions. This was to have a significant affect upon human health and life expectancy, and such squalid conditions would have contributed to the rise of disease.

Epidemics of smallpox, typhoid and cholera spread through the city and infectious diseases such as venereal syphilis and tuberculosis were rife. Rickets, scurvy, dental disease and many other conditions afflicted the population. The London Bills of Mortality record that approximately 40% of deaths occurred in children aged five or below. In the early nineteenth century, almost half the population would not live past their twentieth birthday.

Portrait of an articulated skeleton on a bentwood chair by Powerhouse Museum Collection on Flickr.

Another garbed skeleton from Waldsassen Basilica. Source: Morbid Anatomy.