Human skeletal remains in legacy collections used for teaching: what should medical students know?

Medical students are often unaware of the origin, identity, and legacy of skeletal assemblages used in their everyday medical school teaching. These skeletons—stored in boxes, placed on display stands, or artificially bolted together to mimic an upright anatomical position—sit in anatomy museums and teaching labs throughout the year, and yet there is often little acknowledgement of them beyond their utility as teaching aids. In recent years, some researchers have made a conscious effort to reconstitute the identities of these once-lived individuals and to reframe the way these people are considered within biological anthropology, medical education, and museology research. However, these identities remain largely unknown at a (medical) student level. In this paper, I review the literature concerning the historical context of human skeletal remains in legacy collections used for teaching human anatomy in medical school programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand. I also discuss the cultural context within which these remains are used and consider paths forward for working with or disposing them in ethical ways. Ultimately, I hope to shed light on the identities of these forgotten people who walk alongside medical students, in a spiritual sense, throughout their entire learning journey.