Museum collections contain human remains in diverse forms, including entire preserved bodies, discrete parts of the anatomy, and even art and artifacts created out of human body parts.
Osteological specimens Museum collections, especially those of natural history, may contain human
osteological specimens such as individual bones, bone fragments, entire
skeletons, and
teeth from both ancient and contemporary sources. Reconstruction of bone fragments should be conducted with great care and consideration. Due to the porous nature of bones, few adhering substances can be used on bone with an adequate level of reversibility, which is a key factor of conservation treatments.
Mummies, preserved bodies, other human remains There are innumerable types of artifacts present in museum collections that include or are composed of human remains, some with great scientific or medical merit and others with great cultural importance. Not only do the body parts vary greatly, but so do their methods of preservation.
Mummies Mummies, though typically thought of as an Egyptian phenomenon, exist in many cultures and have been found on nearly every continent. The word
mummy can refer to both intentionally and naturally preserved bodies and is not limited to one geographic area or culture. Damage of mummified remains can be caused by several factors, including poor environmental conditions, physical damage, and improper methods of preservation. Some previous treatments which were thought to help preserve mummified remains but ultimately led to further damage include curing remains by smoking them and applying solutions of copper salts to exposed skin. The lab's collection offers insight into ongoing conservation projects on mummies and related artifacts in their collection.
Bog bodies Bog bodies are human remains which have been discovered in peat bogs around the world. They have been preserved naturally to varying degrees due to the specific conditions of peat bogs. Despite their natural preservation, these remains are sensitive to deterioration after being removed from their original locations. Freeze-drying is an accepted method of preserving bog bodies in museum collections. Some bog body discoveries include the
Tollund Man of Denmark, the
Elling Woman of Denmark, the
Cashel Man of Ireland, the
Huldremose Woman of Denmark, the
Girl of the Uchter Moor of Germany, the
Lindow Man of England, and the
Yde Girl of the Netherlands. For a more comprehensive list of examples, see
List of bog bodies. A record of the preservation of the Tollund Man's head, which took place in 1951 and involved replacing the bog water in the cells with liquid paraffin wax, can be read on the Tollund Man's website hosted by the Silkeborg Public Library,
Silkeborg Museum, and Amtscentret for Undervisning.
Soft tissues Soft tissues are usually in some sort of state of preservation prior to entering a museum collection, but still require periodic care. • Plastination: One method of preserving tissues is
plastination, invented by
Gunther von Hagens and made famous by the exhibition
Body Worlds. The process of plastination involves replacing the water and fat of a specimen with a curable polymer. This form of preservation requires little upkeep in terms of conservation, other than periodic surface cleaning. • Wet specimens: A more classic form of soft tissue preservation is in a solution of
formaldehyde, creating what is known as a wet specimen. The
Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, PA has an extensive collection of wet specimens of human body parts, including both normal specimens and medical abnormalities. Care and hazards of wet specimens can be found on the website of the American Museum of Natural History.
Skin Sections of human skin can be found in the collections of some museums. Some examples of this include books bound with human skin (
anthropodermic bibliopegy) and preserved tattoos. The largest collection of the latter can be found in the
Wellcome Collection at the
Science Museum, London. American artist Andrew Krasnow has caused controversy in recent decades by creating pieces of contemporary art made of human skin. His works, which often make political statements, are composed of pieces of flesh from individuals who have donated their bodies to science. The skin itself has been preserved by tanning.
Hair Hair is considered human remains by some definitions. It is not uncommon within museum collections due to the trend of creating "hairwork", popular during the Victorian era. Locks of hair, hair wreaths, and jewelry made of hair are some of the most commonly found forms. == Caring for human remains ==