Wellcome Trust response on historic human remains
1 February 2005
There are estimated to be over 61 000 human remains - ranging from whole skeletons to teeth and tissue samples - in the care of nearly 150 museums in England. In recent years, there has been increasing debate about how and whether such museums should continue to hold, research and display these remains.
The issue was recently the subject of a consultation by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which examined:
• the adequacy of current legislation in this area and new provisions of the Human Tissue Bill (now the Human Tissue Act 2004)
• whether museums holding human remains should be subject to some form of Code of Practice or regulation
• how museums should handle claims for restitution of human remains.
Read the key points that the Wellcome Trust raised in response to the consultation and an overview of our approach on issues such as display and potential repatriation of human remains.
Alternatively, read our full response [PDF 54.9K] to the DCMS.
