Harvard University will remove binding made from human skin from books in its library

Harvard University said it will remove the human skin binding from a 19th-century book held in its library. The motivation would be the “ethically charged nature” of how the unusual binding happened. The information is from The Guardian.

The book “Des Destinées de l’Ame” (Destinies of the Soul, in free translation), a French novel written by Arsène Houssaye in 1880, has been in the university’s Houghton Library since 1930. The work began to attract international attention in 2014, when tests confirmed that the binding was made with human skin.

On Wednesday the 27th, Harvard University said it intends to remove the leather binding and will work with local authorities to “determine a respectful final disposition of the remains.”

French doctor Ludovic Bouland bound the first volume of the book in human skin. According to the university, the professional did this to a dead patient at the hospital where she worked, certainly without consent. The work arrived at the university through North American diplomat John B. Stetson.

In 2014, the university sparked controversy around the world when it announced the use of new technology to confirm that the binding had been made with human skin. Afterwards, Harvard lamented the “sensationalist, morbid and humorous tone” with which the case was announced.

“We apologize on behalf of the Harvard Library for past failures in our administration of the book, which targeted and further compromised the dignity of human beings,” the university concluded in a statement.

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