As a museum educator at a medical museum whose collections include human
remains, I feel compelled to add my thoughts about this topic.
Those of us in museum education are constantly emphasizing the importance of
seeing the "real thing." Why do we want students to go to the art museum
instead of just looking at slides? Why do we want people to visit the zoo
instead of just watching Animal Planet? Why do we want children to visit
Independence Hall instead of just reading about it in their history books?
Because the "real thing" has an impact that simply cannot be duplicated
through another encounter or experience. I hope that everyone on this list
believes this, and it is why they have chosen to make museums their life's
work.
While there are issues that come up when the human body becomes the "real
thing," the educational value is the same, if not greater. I first saw
"Body Worlds" as a museum education graduate student with no formal training
in anatomy or medicine. I cannot tell you how much I learned by seeing the
real human body for the first time, both in its whole and in parts. I
unknowingly spent two and a half hours in the exhibit, pouring over the
exhibits and the labels. The second visit I made to "Body Worlds" was four
months after I had begun my work as the Museum Educator at the College of
Physicians of Philadelphia's Mütter Museum. This time I was able to
appreciate the exhibit in a whole new light, as someone with a bit of
knowledge about anatomy and pathology.
The Mütter Museum has had human remains in its collections since its
founding in 1858. These collections were originally obtained for use in the
education of doctors. Today the museum is open to the public for the
education of all, and I have the privilege of seeing the public encounter
our collections on a daily basis. While some come to the museum to gawk,
they generally leave having learned something about themselves and their
bodies, and have a greater appreciation of their own health. This, to me,
represents what is best about museums.
From what I have observed at other medical museums and from what I know from
my work at the Mütter Museum, I can say that staff working with human
remains collections treat them with the utmost respect and honor. Our
visitors must sense this as well; as we often get inquiries about body
donation (we even have a living donor who gave us his hips when they had to
be replaced.) These people, and seemingly those who donated their bodies to
"Body Worlds," are frequently motivated by an interest in education and
understanding. One of our future donors has expressed that she wants her
body to be of use "when she is done using it."
I can certainly understand how exhibits displaying human remains might make
some people uncomfortable, but I hope that they can understand the
tremendous educational value of them as well.
Respectfully,
Laurel Weller
------------------------------
Laurel K. Weller
Museum Educator
Mütter Museum
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Phone: 215-563-3737 x203
E-Mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
_____
From: Amelia Cooper [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 3:50 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] "Our Body: The Universe Within" exhibit article
I saw just this controversial exhibit of platicized human bodies at the
Natural History Museum in Denver over the summer. I decided to wait and see
the exhibit before making any moral or personal judgements, and I am glad I
did. The exhibit was one of the most educational exhibits that I have ever
attended. I am a long-time museum employee and an art historian, but I will
admit that I have little patience for looking at every object in a show and
reading all of the accompanying text. Well, at this show, I found myself
and, remarkably, almost everyone else doing just that. We all were taking
our time, pointing out objects to family members, reading the text, relating
the objects to our own lives and health. I think that real-life anatomy
studies have been conducted by a very limited portion of the population
(e.g. med students), so many of us are incredibly ignorant about the human
body's functioning and how diseases affect it. And the exhibit showed me, at
least, that the most obvious and helpful way to teach anatomy is through
direct study of actual bodies. It felt more like self-examination than
examination of "the other," because all of the bodies were unidentifiable
and unidentified.
I will admit that the "shock" factor was present and annoying (i.e. bodies
contorted into skateboarding poses, bodies "exploded" into a millon pieces
so you could see all the inner details, etc.), but I felt that was just used
as a tool to get people in the door. What they ended up really spending
their time on were the more interesting, scientific materials on view. The
idea, the execution, and accompanying handhelds and wall text were very
educational and successful--I think that is key here.
I think it someone agrees to this usage of their remains, we should support
it. This feels like a very different animal than the previous uses of the
human body in exhibits than Richard Fields describes.
-----Original Message-----
From: Rachel Foster
Sent: Nov 28, 2006 3:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: "Our Body: The Universe Within" exhibit article
I also acknowledge the value of the study of human remains. However, I do
agree that there should be concern about this type of exhibit. Though the
bodies were provided for educational purposes, the museum community should
really examine the aim and outcome of these types of exhibits. Are the
viewers really coming to learn something or are they attending the exhibit
for sheer shock value. As professionals we all should acknowledge the fact
that the many of our guests only visit to our institutions to "look at
stuff."
In this case, I think interpretation through labels, brochures, etc. is the
key to increasing the educational value that the majority of the visitors
will receive. Even with interpretation, an examination of the donors'
wishes should certainly be taken into consideration. In donating their
bodies for study, how could they possibly envision crowds of people filing
by their remains in a museum? Though there is educational value if the
exhibit is well done, does that value meet the expectations of a donor?
Will these types of exhibits have an effect on the publics desire to donate
their remains? In any case, I hope the public will leave with a greater
understanding of human anatomy and the role of scientific research in
disease prevention and medical technology.
_____
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Richard Fields
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 12:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] "Our Body: The Universe Within" exhibit article
Martin F. Kohn has written an interesting article on the "Our Body: The
Universe Within" exhibit to be shown at the New Detroit Science Center. The
article (
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061128/ENT05/611280305
<http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061128/ENT05/611280305>
) looks at the exhibit, controversy, and thoughts of exhibiting human body
parts. The bodies have undergone a process called plastination, and the
exhibit is developed by Universe Within Touring Co. They expect 50,000
visitors a month during its run from January 13th to Memorial Day, according
to the article.
Now my comments. I acknowledge the educational value of bodies used in
medical education and research. I acknowledge the educational value of a
cursory examination of human remains when accidentally discovered before
proper re-internment. I am not opposed to educational study. That said, I am
opposed to the display of human remains in museums. I have seen exhibits,
such as the Science Museum of Minnesota, which had slices of human bodies
between glass (or something smiler), which could make a claim to an
educational value, and I remember the mummy's hand on display at the Witte
museum in San Antonio, (smell the mummy's hand!) which I found revolting.
As a Native American, I am perhaps a bit more sensitive to seeing humans on
display. There was a history of disrespect shown toward native remains, and
those from other non-European cultures. Fortunately, that has mostly passed.
The bodies for the exhibit come from China, and although they gave their
bodies to science, I still don't think a museum exhibit is an appropriate
use for a dead body. I do not know if they were aware if the scientific use
included museum exhibits.
I am curious as to how others feel about exhibiting bodies and body parts in
museums. Can you separate your professional and personal views on this issue
(I cannot)? Is the display of bodies a legitimate item, or is it just
another way to keep the turnstiles revolving?
Will today's educational exhibit be looked at in the future with disdain as
the way we now consider the display of human remains from other cultures
(such as Indians, mummies from Egypt, or African Tribes).
And a quick note to the Science Museum of Minnesota and The Witte Museum. I
think you both have great museums, I just disagree with the exhibits I saw,
which were about five and ten years ago respectively. I do not know if they
are still there. I just used your institutions since they were the first two
I remembered.
_____
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