Do you get complaints from visitors about the specimens you have on display in the exhibition, “From a Single CellHuman Reproduction, Growth and Development”?
The museum has one of the world’s largest collections of fluid-preserved and other human specimens. Some of these are currently exhibited; the remainder is available to researchers committed to understanding human development and disease. We at the museum agree with the Code of Ethics of the International Council of Museums that the interpretation and exhibition of human remains and other sensitive material must be performed with “tact and respect.” Visitor surveys commissioned by the museum demonstrate that members of the general public consider the display of human tissue — including pathological and fetal — to be acceptable and appropriate. The issue is not the display, but the educational context for their display. As a professional, scientific institution it is our duty to help enhance and shape the natural curiosity of visitors into a unique and inspirational learning experience. We believe we are achieving this goal, and the daily comments of those who learn in our institution
