Harvard University's Houghton Library is home to a book called 'Des Destinées de l'Ame' (Destinies of the Soul) since the 1930s. The book, written by Arsene Houssaye in the mid-1880s, is unique as it was confirmed in 2014 that it was bound using human skin.
According to UK media reports, Harvard University has now decided to remove the binding."...the ethically fraught nature of the book's origins and subsequent history," was reportedly announced as the reason behind the decision.
'Des Destinées de l'Ame'is a meditation on the soul and life after death and was gifted to a physician identified as Dr Ludovic Bouland by the author, BBC said in a report. It was Dr Bouland who decided to bind the book with the skin of a former patient of his. The female patient, whose identity remains unknown, passed away due to natural reasons, the news report added. The medical practitioner was of the opinion that a text on the human soul deserved to have a human covering.
Following the decision to remove the book's binding, Harvard will also ensure a "respectful disposition" in order to "restore dignity to the woman whose skin was used".
"After careful study, stakeholder engagement, and consideration, Harvard Library and the Harvard Museum Collections Returns Committee concluded that the human remains used in the book's binding no longer belong in the Harvard Library collections, due to the ethically fraught nature of the book's origins and subsequent history," Harvard University reportedly said in an official statement. The official release also had an apology from the esteemed varsity, alongside a promise to use its resources to identify the person whose skin was used by Dr Bouland.
