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Human remains

What is the significance of human remains for public collections?
Human remains have a unique status within museum collections. They have the potential to make a contribution to the public good through research, teaching and, in appropriate cases, display. They have personal, symbolic or religious significance to individuals and communities which places a special responsibility on those museums that hold them.

Legal issues
Public collections holding human remains should ensure that any activities that they undertake are lawful. The law in relation to the display and storage of human remains has recently changed following the Human Tissue Act 2004, described in more detail in Factsheet Legislation.

Ethical issues
Ethical principles relating to human remains are set out in Factsheet Ethical principles. Museums must always follow the ICOM Code of Ethics and Museums Association's Code of Ethics. Checklist Museum actions gives a basic framework for further action. The Vermillion Accord on Human Remains, adopted in 1989 at the South Dakota World Archaeological Congress provides a valuable ethical framework for public collections.

Policies
Human remains fall into a separate category from other items within museum collections as the laws of England and Wales do not recognise the concept of property in human bodies or tissue except where remains have been treated or altered through skill. However, museums will continue to add human remains formally to their collections if they can be held lawfully; provenance has been established; there is no suspicion of illicit trade; and the remains are of potential value to the museum or wider scientific community. A Model Acquisition and Disposal Policy has been devised by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council as part of the Accreditation Scheme. Policies must also be in place for de-accessioning; loans; claims for return; storage, conservation and collections management; display; access and educational use; and research. Further information on collections management is contained in Collections Link. Examples of policies from museums can be found in Learn More and will be added to as more policies are published. Checklist Museum procedures will be of use in this context.

Further guidance
All of this information is set out in full detail in Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museum Collections published by DCMS in 2005. DCMS also operates the Human Remains Advisory Service (HRAS) which uses expert advisers to comment on information given by museums. HRAS helps smaller museums deal with claims for the repatriation of human remains from their collections. Institutions may also find the collections management processes given in Collections Link helpful in this context. Further advice is available from Factsheet Sources of advice.