Comparing Human Skeletal Collections at Loyola University Chicago: Impacts on Education and Research
Major
Anthropology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2025
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Collections of human skeletal remains reflect a long history of exploitation and marginalization, issues that body donation seeks to alleviate. Through comparing remains purchased from biological supply companies in the 1960-70’s by Loyola’s Anthropology Department with skeletons from the National Body Donor Program, I aim to explore whether differences impact education and research. Age at death and sex were estimated for 36 skeletons; present pathological conditions were noted. Results indicate that donor skeletons are significantly older with more chronic conditions. However, both collections display the inextricable links between lived experiences and disease processes. Emphasizing each individual’s history is essential.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Anne L. Grauer, Ph.D, Department of Anthropology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Comparing Human Skeletal Collections at Loyola University Chicago: Impacts on Education and Research
Collections of human skeletal remains reflect a long history of exploitation and marginalization, issues that body donation seeks to alleviate. Through comparing remains purchased from biological supply companies in the 1960-70’s by Loyola’s Anthropology Department with skeletons from the National Body Donor Program, I aim to explore whether differences impact education and research. Age at death and sex were estimated for 36 skeletons; present pathological conditions were noted. Results indicate that donor skeletons are significantly older with more chronic conditions. However, both collections display the inextricable links between lived experiences and disease processes. Emphasizing each individual’s history is essential.