哈佛大学图书馆发现首本人皮书

 　　Scientists at Harvard have confirmed a 19th century book in one of the university's libraries is bound in human skin.

　　哈佛大学科学家已经证实，该校图书馆一本19世纪图书的封面材料取自人类皮肤。

　　Conservators at the university carried out a series of tests on the binding¹, which left them '99.9% confident' the binding came from a human.

　　哈弗大学管理员对该书封面做了一系列测试，称他们有“99.9%的自信” 肯定这本书的封面材料取自人类皮肤。

　　The book, Arsène Houssaye's Des destinées de l'ame, which translates as The Destiny Of The Soul, is described as a meditation² on the soul and life after death and is believed to have been bound in skin from the unclaimed body of a female mental patient.

　　本书原名Arsène Houssaye's Des destinées de l'ame ，翻译过来就是《灵魂的归宿》。据说这本书的主要内容是对死亡后灵魂和生命的沉思，其封面材料取自一个女精神病人的皮肤。

　　Scientists confirmed the binding on the book, housed in the Houghton Library, is human skin after using a technique known as peptide mass fingerprintings to analyse microscopic³ samples.

　　这本书陈列在哈佛大学霍顿图书馆。科学家使用“肽质量指纹图谱”技术分析显微样品后，确认该书封面由人皮制成。

　　Heather Cole, Assistant Curator of Modern Books & Manuscripts, is believed to have presented the book to his friend Dr Ludovic Bouland. In a blogpost on the library's website, he claims Bouland bound the book with skin from the unclaimed body of a female mental patient who died of a stroke.

　　希瑟·科尔是“当代图书”分馆的助理馆长，据称当年是希瑟把这本书呈递给他的朋友卢多维奇博士进行封装的。他在图书馆网站上的一篇文章中说道，卢多维奇用一位死于中风的女精神病人的皮肤制成了该书封面。

　　A note inside the book, written by Ludovic, reads: 'A book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering: I had kept this piece of human skin taken from the back of a woman.'

　　书中留下了一张卢多维奇写的字条：“一本有关人类灵魂的书，值得用人类皮肤来封装：本书封皮是我用一个女人背部的皮肤制成的。”

　　In the note, Ludovic also refers to another book bound in human skin, Séverin Pineau’s De integritatis & corruptionis virginum notis, which is in the Wellcome Library collection.

　　在字条中，卢多维奇还提到了另外一本人皮书——现存于英国伦敦维尔康姆图书馆中的Séverin Pineau’s De integritatis & corruptionis virginum notis。

1 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

2 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

3 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。