The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, known for its collection of medical artifacts including human skulls and skeletons, faced a major controversy after a 2023 ProPublica investigation revealed it held remains of at least 52 Native Americans without proper repatriation under NAGPRA. The museum's executive director Kate Quinn and president Mira Irons responded by removing digital content mentioning human remains, sparking a petition signed by over 30,000 people accusing them of reactive and fear-based decisions. Several staffers left, donors requested their body parts back, and both Quinn and Irons eventually resigned. The museum is now led by science historians Erin McLeary and Sara Ray.
This controversy matters because it forced the Mütter Museum to fundamentally rethink how it displays human remains, culminating in a new policy that emphasizes ethical provenance research, consultation with descendant communities, and repatriation where appropriate. The case highlights broader tensions in the museum world between preserving historic medical collections and addressing legacies of scientific racism and colonialism. The museum's shift from spectacle to contextualized education could serve as a model for other institutions grappling with similar ethical challenges around human remains in their collections.