deaner

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

   Go to www.deja.com.  "Deaner" was discussed this week.  The thread is
"word help--deaner" in the newsgroup "sci.med.transcription."  A poor soul
looked for "deaner" in a Random House Dictionary--did he submit that query to
Random House?
   The first 10-13-1999 posting has:

   I have come across the word _deaner_ in _A Case of Need_ by Michael
Crichton writing as Jeffrey Hudson: "While the pathologist is doing this, the
deaner cuts the scalp open, removes the scullcap, and takes out the brain, if
permission for brain removal has been obtained."  In a footnote the word is
defined: "Deaner is a traditional term for a man who takes care of the
dissecting room.  It is an ancient term, dating back to the days when anatomy
dissections were done by horse gelders and butchers.  The deaner keeps the
rooms clean, care for the corpses, and aids in the dissection." (...)