(Press-News.org) Contact information: Ben Norman
Sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
44-012-437-70375
Wiley
Who owns the bones? Should bodies in museum exhibits be returned home?
From Egyptian mummies to Ötzi the Iceman, human remains are a common, if macabre, feature of museum exhibits. Writing in Clinical Anatomy, Dr. Philippe Charlier explores the argument that curators have an ethical obligation to return these bodies to their native communities for burial.
The recent case of the 'Irish Giant' Charles Byrne reveals that this is not an issue limited to cadavers from pre-antiquity. Byrne found celebrity in the 1780s and while his skeleton remains in the Royal College of Surgeons in London, ethics experts argue his remains should be buried at sea in accordance with his wishes.
Dr. Charlier argues that human remains in museums and scientific institutions can be divided into four categories, 'ethnographical elements' such as hair samples with no certain identification; anatomical remains such as whole skeletons or skulls; archaeological remains; and more modern collections of skulls, used in now discredited studies in the early 20th century.
After exploring case study examples from around the world, Dr. Charlier argues that the concept of the body as property is anything but clear and depends heavily on local political views and the administrative status of the human remains. The author proposes that the only precise factor permitting restitution should be the name of the individual, as in the case of Charles Byrne.
"The ethical problem posed by the bones of this 18th century individual approximates to that of all human remains conserved in public collections, displayed in museums or other cultural institutions," said Dr. Charlier. "In the near future, curators will have to choose between global conservation of all (or almost all) anthropological collections on the one hand and systematic restitution to their original communities or families on the other."
### END
Who owns the bones? Should bodies in museum exhibits be returned home?
2014-02-04
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
First live births with a novel simplified IVF procedure
2014-02-04
Cambridge, UK, February 4, 2014 - A recent prospective study published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online comparing conventional IVF with a novel simplified laboratory method of culturing embryos suggested that fertilization ...
Smokers lack motivation, feel more tired and are less active than non-smokers
2014-02-04
While the results of smoking may be expected to decrease fitness, new research, published in Respirology, has found that smokers are less physically active, lack motivation and are more likely to ...
Time to stub out misguided e-cigarette regulation
2014-02-04
Los Angeles, London (February 04, 2014). Smokers are increasingly turning to electronic cigarettes as a means to reduce the health impacts of their addiction. But legislators around the world are far from unified ...
Faces we don't forget
2014-02-04
Great eyes, full lips and harmonious features: actress Angelina Jolie is in possession of all of these. That she is regarded as ...
Teens who consume energy drinks more likely to use alcohol and drugs
2014-02-04
Philadelphia, Pa. (February 4, 2014) – Nearly one-third ...
Mouse study shows gene therapy may be possible cure for Hurler syndrome
2014-02-04
CINCINNATI – Researchers used blood platelets and bone marrow cells to deliver potentially curative gene therapy to mouse models of the human genetic disorder Hurler ...
Scientists turn primitive artificial cell into complex biological materials
2014-02-04
It is a big dream in science: To start from scratch with simple artificial microskopic building blocks and end up with something much more complex: living systemts, novel computers or every-day ...
Sun spits out mid-level solar flare
2014-02-04
The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, beginning at 11:57 p.m. EST on Feb. 3, 2014, and peaking at midnight EST. NASA released images of the flare as captured ...
Diamond defect boosts quantum technology
2014-02-04
Washington, D.C.—New research shows that a remarkable defect in synthetic diamond produced by chemical vapor deposition allows researchers to measure, witness, and potentially manipulate electrons in a manner that could ...
The case for tele-emergency services
2014-02-04
New research from the University of Iowa supports the claim that tele-emergency services can successfully extend emergency care ...