Families are facing the most heartbreaking news imaginable. Yet a museum in Baltimore has recently faced backlash when it was discovered she had stored human remains without consent. Colin King and John Santi, two individuals affected by this controversy, have shared the painful experiences of learning how their loved ones were treated after death. Recently, the Tasmanian Coronial Division undertook an inquiry. In a study that was published last month, they discovered that between 1966 and 1991, 177 human specimens—often body parts from deceased people—were collected without consent. For the survivors, it has resulted in long-lasting, traumatic scars that seek to heal only on those who were forced to take the brunt end of these gambles.
Colin King’s mother, Elaine King, died at the age of 39 when he was only 19 years old. In September, Colin got an email verbatim telling him that his mother’s “specimen/s” were cremated in August. The news broke him, leading to a profound sense of betrayal. I just figured I’ve got to get on with my life. This is news I didn’t want and news I would have preferred never to hear,” Colin said in a recent interview.
In January, the Tasmanian Coronial Division released a public notice. They appealed to families of victims who have passed away to come forward to be part of the investigation. The inquiry was headed by state coroner Simon Cooper. It revealed that the Rodda Museum at the University of Tasmania sourced human remains for teaching and research purposes without consent from families.
It’s said that Dr. Royal Cummings donated the bulk of these specimens in the museum’s collection. Air pollution from this investigation has resulted in a highly unusual public apology from the University of Tasmania. “The University of Tasmania is deeply sorry for the sadness and hurt felt by family members who learned that parts of their loved ones were collected during coronial autopsies and retained without consent,” a university spokesperson said.
As one teacher, Colin King put it, “It has been a bloody living nightmare.” He talked about how learning what happened to his mother’s body has re traumatized him. “I have been struggling with the loss of my mother for 45 years,” he said. The emotional toll has rippled outside of him, affecting his family as well. He remarked, “Now to have to relive this all over again has caused untold hurt and mental torture to not only myself, but my wife and children.”
In a similar, but separate case, John Santi went through his own battle. His brother Tony was killed in a motorcycle crash in Tasmania in the 1970s. During Tony’s autopsy, his brain was removed without consent and later retained as part of the museum’s collection. Decades later, John Santi made the difficult decision to rebury his brother’s brain, stating, “After 50 years, I had to rebury his body part … We went and laid that to rest with him. That’s something we should never have had to do.”
This coronial investigation exposed the ongoing, harrowing legacy of holding on to Australian human remains. Practices like these today would not be tolerated. Coroner Cooper noted, “The retention of human remains without family or coronial approval, or even knowledge, is a historic practice out of keeping with, and offensive to, contemporary standards and values.”
The Tasmanian government has already moved to implement all the review’s recommendations. It remains deeply committed to rooting out ethical violations and supporting the families impacted by them. The Coronial Division appreciates that relatives are going through profound grief. They are determined to make sure mental health support is available to everyone impacted by this issue.
“We are carefully considering the Coroner’s report to determine any further actions.” – The University of Tasmania
Dr. Sally Wasef of the Coronial Division stressed that clear national standards have been set for acquiring human remains for medical research. Though they’re still rarely adopted, these standards have existed since the early 2000s. This amendment brings us one step closer to ensuring that the same thing doesn’t happen in the future.
Those are positive policy developments, but many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remains still languish in museums across Australia. Today, these ancestors are housed in museums across the globe. This not-so-simple problem highlights the need for an ongoing conversation and commitment to ethical practices in the treatment of human remains.
