Trending Now: This museum obtained human remains without consent. Now it’s an ethical battleground.

While some of the bodies in Philadelphia's Mütter Museum come from contemporary donors, many were acquired in an era before medical consent was codified. For the past few months, the Mütter has become an ethical battleground for various groups of stakeholders: a museum leadership that wants to usher it into the 21st century, representatives from historically disadvantaged groups who wish to either preserve or dismantle it, staff members and academics caught in the middle, and fans of the museum who feel a special connection to this meaningful and macabre place. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sign up for alerts Must-read stories around major news events   Trending Now July 30, 11:11 a.m. EDT This museum obtained human remains without consent. Now it's an ethical battleground. While some of the bodies in Philadelphia's Mütter Museum come from contemporary donors, many were acquired in an era before medical consent was codified. For the past few months, the Mütter has become an ethical battleground for various groups of stakeholders: a museum leadership that wants to usher it into the 21st century, representatives from historically disadvantaged groups who wish to either preserve or dismantle it, staff members and academics caught in the middle, and fans of the museum who feel a special connection to this meaningful and macabre place. Read more   Advertisement

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