Scientific research into the functioning of the human body has led to major advances in longevity and health. But there have also been dark chapters. The 19th-century Viennese physician Joseph Hyrtl became famous for his knowledge of human anatomy – knowledge acquired by paying grave robbers to provide subjects for his private collection. He was far from the only researcher at the time to do so.
For centuries, major museums and research institutes have preserved, studied and exhibited human remains. Some, like Hyrtl’s, were almost certainly obtained unethically. The preservation of remains has become increasingly controversial as various groups question the ethics of using people’s bodies as research and public education tools without consent.
In 1990, Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This requires institutions to return remains and artifacts to direct descendants, tribes, or other culturally affiliated organizations, or obtain consent for their continued use.
Progress has been slow and controversies over remains held by scientific institutions continue to erupt, extending beyond those of indigenous communities.
In 2021, Philadelphia journalists reported that the University of Pennsylvania held human remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing, in which city police dropped a bomb on a rowhouse serving as the headquarters of a group calling for black liberation. Eleven people were killed, including children. Some remains of the MOVE families were used to teach anatomy lessons. Although these remains were returned to family members, more have since been found.
Fatimah Jackson, a recently retired biological anthropologist from Howard University in Washington, D.C., is lead a new effort spurred by MOVE revelations to prevent such abuse. “We are the ones who have this material,” she told Independent contributor Michael Marshall. “Scientists are the culprits here.”
Jackson aims to guide universities and museums in the ethical management of remains in their possession obtained without consent, including those from African American cemeteries.
And there is progress on other fronts. Medical schools now rely on people who choose to donate their bodies after death for anatomy studies. Some schools hold ceremonies to honor donors at the end of classes. Hrytl would no doubt have been surprised.