Harvard removed the cover of this book after confirming the material.

A copy of Des destinies de l’âme, a work by Arsène Houssaye published in 1879, had a cover of a particular nature. In 2014, her analysis confirmed that she was made of human skin. This finding gradually led Harvard to reconsider the treatment of the object.

The library investigated her provenance and concluded that Dr. Bouland most likely used the skin of a patient who died without consent. In March 2024, the binding was removed. The book itself remained in the collection, separated from these human remains.

Harvard also regretted the sensationalist tone of its early announcements. History is not limited to an unusual matter: it concerns a person whose body had been transformed into an object. The documented decision of 2024 now distinguishes the retention of the text from that of this cover.