Procurement

The process

Human skeletal material is available for purchase through licensed medical supply companies. The specimens originate from anatomical donation programmes — individuals who consented, during their lifetime, to the use of their remains for medical education and research. The documentation is thorough. The chain of custody is traceable. The ethics are clear, provided you do not think about it too hard on a Tuesday evening after your second glass of wine.

The calvaria used in the Sanskulla was sourced from a Belgian supplier specialising in anatomical specimens for universities. The ordering process took four minutes. The delivery took six business days. The box was smaller than expected.

Inside: one autopsy-cut cranial vault, wrapped in tissue paper. No instruction manual. No certificate of previous ownership. No name.

The question everyone asks

"Is it real?"

Yes.

"Whose was it?"

The supplier does not provide that information. The donation programme is anonymised. The skull belonged to someone who decided, at some point, that their head would be more useful to science than to the ground. This is either profoundly generous or profoundly indifferent. Both readings are valid.

What is known: the skull is adult, the sutures suggest an age of 40–60, and the autopsy cut indicates the individual's death was subject to post-mortem examination. Beyond that, the skull keeps its own counsel.