Body parts taken for decades without consent, for display at UTAS museum, coroner finds

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A Tasmanian coroner has released his findings from an investigation into 177 human specimens held in the collection of a university museum without the consent or knowledge of families. Simon Cooper found the specimens had been retained by pathologists between 1966 and 1991 and given to the museum, in contravention of the laws that applied at the time.

Transcript

00:00In 2016, the Tasmanian Coroner's Office was contacted by the R.A. Rodder Museum,

00:08which is part of the University of Tasmania.

00:11It revealed the museum held samples of human remains

00:15taken during coronial autopsies and given to the museum

00:19without the consent of family members or the coroner.

00:23An investigation has found the museum had 177 samples of human remains

00:30which had been obtained in this way between 1966 and 1991.

00:36Coroner Simon Cooper said it appears that now-dead forensic pathologist

00:41Dr. Royal Cummings was the person who provided the large majority

00:46of coronial specimens to the museum.

00:49He said it also appears that pathologists may have actively sourced specimens

00:54from coronial autopsies to give to the museum

00:57as well as providing specimens that had been originally retained for forensic purposes.

01:03Coroner Cooper found it was illegal for the specimens to have been kept

01:07and given to the museum without family consent, saying

01:11the expectation of families is and would have been

01:15that the body of their loved one is complete.

01:18The investigation involved complex record searches.

01:22And in April last year, Coroner Cooper went public.

01:25He released the names of people whose family members he hadn't been able to track down.

01:30All up, about 100 people were identified

01:33and their remains have been dealt with according to their family's wishes where possible.

01:38Albie's two-year-old daughter Amy died 40 years ago.

01:43He was shocked when he learned specimens were taken from her body and stored at the museum

01:48and says he wants further investigation.

01:51It would be nice to have somebody completely independent of the government

01:54to do an investigation to follow this right through to the end

01:58and then make sure that people are held accountable for what they've done to our loved ones.

02:04The University of Tasmania says it's deeply sorry for the hurt and sadness felt by people

02:10whose loved ones had their remains kept without consent.

02:13It says the practice no longer happens and hasn't for several decades.

02:18And people were worried about them.

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