Ethical debate: Human remains
The issue of displaying human remains has been highlighted again through the recent consultation being carried out by the Human Tissue Authority.
UK museums have a long history of displaying human remains but do they really add anything to the interpretation or are they merely there to appeal to the macabre?
While the UK government’s Human Remains Report of 2003 and an earlier report by the Church of England both suggest that there is a strong public appetite for seeing human remains in museums and at heritage sites, there appears to be little in the way of published data on visitor opinions.
The data that does exists appears to support the idea that the majority of museum visitors are comfortable with seeing preserved bodies and body parts. Through interviews with visitors who viewed an ancient Egyptian mummy, it became apparent that morbid curiosity is a natural response to being confronted with a dead human being.
How that response is eventually processed by visitors can be influenced by the way in which such exhibits are displayed. The mummy was set in a darkened, tomb-like, partitioned area in the museum and the responses to it were overwhelmingly positive — people felt a sense of awe and surprise at its state of preservation.
Apart from a small number of individuals who felt nothing but revulsion, most viewers expressed the feeling that it was a
worthwhile exhibit.
But clearly the age of such remains makes a difference and many of the people were less happy about the idea of more recent human remains being on display, saying that these posed greater ethical problems since there may be living descendants to consider.
About half of the people I spoke to were also concerned that not enough information is provided by museums on how such remains were obtained.
In an environment where museums are encouraged to become more
reflexive about their collections, it does seem strange to present human remains simply as exhibits that demonstrate certain historical, scientific or medical principles.
Jane Downham, virtual access project volunteer, Godalming Museum
Although this topic has generated a vast amount of recent literature, it
appears that museum visitors are seldom consulted. I have completed surveys at several museums regarding exhibits of Neolithic and Bronze Age human remains.
Only a small number of visitors said the displays of remains were disrespectful. Undoubtedly, the frisson that accompanies the viewing of such exhibits accounts for their popularity.
But it seems to me that visitors view human remains with more than a mere morbid curiosity.
Many commented on the educational value of the remains, to the extent that the display of remains from the modern period (1800 to present) was deemed to be acceptable. They appreciated how museums offer a unique opportunity to view human remains and a chance to discuss the subject of death with children in a non-traumatic way.
Marie McBrien, MA student
UK museums have a long history of displaying human remains but do they really add anything to the interpretation or are they merely there to appeal to the macabre?
While the UK government’s Human Remains Report of 2003 and an earlier report by the Church of England both suggest that there is a strong public appetite for seeing human remains in museums and at heritage sites, there appears to be little in the way of published data on visitor opinions.
The data that does exists appears to support the idea that the majority of museum visitors are comfortable with seeing preserved bodies and body parts. Through interviews with visitors who viewed an ancient Egyptian mummy, it became apparent that morbid curiosity is a natural response to being confronted with a dead human being.
How that response is eventually processed by visitors can be influenced by the way in which such exhibits are displayed. The mummy was set in a darkened, tomb-like, partitioned area in the museum and the responses to it were overwhelmingly positive — people felt a sense of awe and surprise at its state of preservation.
Apart from a small number of individuals who felt nothing but revulsion, most viewers expressed the feeling that it was a
worthwhile exhibit.
But clearly the age of such remains makes a difference and many of the people were less happy about the idea of more recent human remains being on display, saying that these posed greater ethical problems since there may be living descendants to consider.
About half of the people I spoke to were also concerned that not enough information is provided by museums on how such remains were obtained.
In an environment where museums are encouraged to become more
reflexive about their collections, it does seem strange to present human remains simply as exhibits that demonstrate certain historical, scientific or medical principles.
Jane Downham, virtual access project volunteer, Godalming Museum
Although this topic has generated a vast amount of recent literature, it
appears that museum visitors are seldom consulted. I have completed surveys at several museums regarding exhibits of Neolithic and Bronze Age human remains.
Only a small number of visitors said the displays of remains were disrespectful. Undoubtedly, the frisson that accompanies the viewing of such exhibits accounts for their popularity.
But it seems to me that visitors view human remains with more than a mere morbid curiosity.
Many commented on the educational value of the remains, to the extent that the display of remains from the modern period (1800 to present) was deemed to be acceptable. They appreciated how museums offer a unique opportunity to view human remains and a chance to discuss the subject of death with children in a non-traumatic way.
Marie McBrien, MA student
