Monday, March 3, 2008

No Respect for Paupers' Remains

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Skeletal remains of about 1,600 people unearthed from paupers' cemeteries on the Milwaukee County Grounds during the early 1990s represent a "unique and remarkable" opportunity for research and will be kept for academic study rather than reburied, the Wisconsin Historical Society has decided.

Members of another historical group criticized the decision, including one who called it "morally disappointing" and said the group may challenge the decision so the remains can be reburied in a public ceremony.

The remains, most of which were buried in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, were discovered in 1991 during construction of an addition to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. An archaeological excavation recovered remains, personal effects and funeral hardware, such as nails and coffin fragments, from 1,649 burial sites.

The remains have since been temporarily stored and studied at Marquette University. But the state's historical society - which is responsible for the administration of Wisconsin's burial preservation laws - was petitioned this year by Marquette, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Wauwatosa Historical Society to make a final decision. The remains are to be transferred from Marquette to UWM within 60 days.

Reburial of the remains would prevent them from fully contributing to the advancement of forensic science, medical research and historical analysis, said John Broihahn, an archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society.

"We looked at a variety of factors, and . . . we thought this decision produced the greatest public good," Broihahn said. "The collection is unusual for the type of remains that are there and the fact that they are in very good condition."

The Wauwatosa Historical Society, which had urged the state historical society to rebury the remains in a public ceremony involving government and religious officials, may consider challenging the decision before the state's Burial Sites Preservation Board, said Dennis R. McBride, a volunteer with the Wauwatosa group.

..."There's nothing wrong with UWM doing research, but we think in this situation, these people never had the opportunity to make an informed, voluntary decision about whether they wanted to remain research subjects for the rest of time."

Ken Bennet, a retired professor of biological anthropology at UW-Madison, said the remains should be kept for future study by visiting scholars and graduate students.

"I think it would be boneheaded and stupid to rebury them," said Bennet, a former member of the Burial Sites Preservation Board. He said the County Grounds site is a "one of a kind" opportunity for study.

I agree with McBride. These people were laid to rest. They didn't volunteer to have their remains used for research.

Bennet sounds like a real nut. The guy, a former member of the Burial Sites Preservation Board says it would be "boneheaded" (No pun intended, I'm sure) and "stupid" to rebury the bones. That's an odd comment coming from a burial site preservation advocate.

What does he mean that the County Grounds site is a "one of a kind" opportunity?

The unearthed paupers' cemeteries provide a mother lode of subjects. No relatives are likely to object. So, what the hell? No need to treat the remains of these people as if they were loved.

That's sick.


Bennet and Peter Killoran, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, acknowledged that different procedures are used to determine the fate of remains from American Indians than for people of European heritage.

With American Indian burial sites, tribes are consulted and generally the remains are reburied if the tribes request it. If there is a dispute, the National Park Service settles the matter, said Killoran, an expert in biological anthropology.

With other remains, there is a patchwork of rules around the country for deciding the fate of the bones, he said.

There's no one to speak for the paupers.

With American Indians, it's different. There are people to fight for the preservation of burial grounds. The sanctity of the sites is recognized.

Why should it be different for the paupers?


...Many of the people who were buried in the paupers' cemeteries died in the nearby poorhouse, hospital or orphanage, or were unclaimed after dying in accidents or under mysterious circumstances, said John D. Richards, director of historic resource management services in UWM's anthropology department.

Reburial of the remains, however, would once again silence the voices of people who were largely anonymous in both life and death, Richards said.

"This is an opportunity to give them a voice, to reconnect them to the community . . . and perhaps (give them) a role in extending the lives of living people, aiding in criminal investigations or helping with medical advances," Richards said.

What a crock!

These people were the dregs of society -- unwanted or unknown or unclaimed. Of course, it's easy for Richards to say that they should be used for research purposes even though they never granted permission for their bones to be used that way.

Would it be acceptable to dig up an intact cemetery with marked graves and harvest subjects for research?

What's the difference?


I think these people deserve respect, too. They lived, died, and were buried.

Richards' claim that being research subjects "is an opportunity to give them a voice, to reconnect them to the community" is jaw-droppingly lame. Really.

Apparently, Richards can channel their spirits. He knows that they want to reconnect with the community. He's offering them an opportunity. He doesn't want to silence their voices once again.

Good grief. Reconnect with the community? That's unbelievable.

The remains of these deceased should be treated with no less dignity than the remains of anyone else.

I understand the importance of research, but I also understand the importance of our society's burial rituals.

Without question, the paupers' remains should be reburied. In our society, we bury our dead. We show respect for lives that were lived, those who came before us. Human remains aren't raw material. Finders keepers.

Individuals or their guardians may choose not to be buried and donate their bodies for research, but that's a conscious decision.

Here's a project: Let the researchers contact relatives of people who died and were buried in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Let them get permission to dig up their remains and use them for research.

Can you imagine getting a call or letter from a researcher requesting that the bones of a long dead relative be dug up?

Would you agree to that?

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