A MUSEUM’S HISTORIC HUMAN REMAINS ARE NOW THE CENTER OF AN ETHICS CLASH by Maura Judkis.
"The bone of contention: While some of the bodies in the museum come from contemporary donors, many had been acquired in an era before medical consent was codified. In the 19th century, doctors who wanted to learn with real bodies would claim the remains of prisoners, suicide victims, poor people, prostitutes, enslaved people, Native Americans and other underprivileged groups — or they would pay off gravediggers and steal from cemeteries. These are some of the Mütter’s “residents,” as staff members call them."