On possession of human remains

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A couple of weekends ago my sons and I went to visit my mom's place. Her neighbor (an artist and a friend she has known for a very long time) invited me and my older son to her house to get some vegetables to take home with us.

Before we left her house I asked her if she could show my son a human skull that she found some years ago. (She originally gave it to the police but they gave it back to her when they realized the young lady had been murdered over 150 years ago.)After spending some time looking at the skull and speculating about her, my mother's neighbor asked my 7 year old son if he would like to look after the skull for her for a while. He felt that he didn't have a place to keep it safe so he declined. Personally I feel more comfortable not having the skull in our house so I'm glad he made that desision himself.

Which brings me to my topic. Although she told me that the police allowed her to have the skull back, I find it strange that people are allowed to keep human remains. Maybe some of you BOM members that are more knowledgeable about these particular laws could fill me in on what you know.

 

Finders keepers, I guess.

 

There is no ownership of human remains, legally, unless you have strange laws there. The police probably gave it back to her as the person who brought it, to deal with it on her own. At any rate, human remains should be buried, although artists, museums and the like tend to keep bones, mummies, whatever... Still, in case of a private person, I really find it hard to believe that your law should allow the finder to own the skull or even keep it in the house. However, I'm not a Canadian lawyer by far. Maybe Beren will know.

Here are some clues, but it's mostly about native remains and archaelogical sites:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/r/pfa-fap/sec7/decouv_discov3_E.asp

And here's a list of statutes by subjects:

http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/subject/index.html

Maybe you'll find something there.

[ September 03, 2006, 14:17: Message edited by: chevalier ]

 

I don't see WHY you would want to keep the old remains of a human in your house. It's creepy.

 

Fun at parties. What do you mean why?

 

DR, you still drink the blood of virgins out of these?

 

It does seem odd, I suppose, but I don't have too many issues with it. Main reason not to have a skull in your house would be if your kid watches too many horror movies and then has nightmares that the skull is going to come alive and eat him in the middle of the night.

 

I would place it on a nice plate and keep it in the fridge.

 

Actually I'm pretty sure that my son wouldn't have nightmares about the skull. He is extremely scientific minded and spends hours and hours reading about prehistoric animals and civilizations. On the other hand I'm fairly certain that my husband would be extremely uncomfortable having a human skull in the house. My feelings lie somewhere in between the two.

 

Well... it would deter burglars if you kept the skull next to where the dog sleeps...

 

Nice one, Tassadar. I think that is the most practical answer. You could also use it as a prop in school plays. "Alas, poor Yorick" or some such thing.

 

Growing up, my father was a Biology professor. He kept all sorts of strange things around the house. I'd sometimes visit his lab and get to see fetuses in jars, a cadaver, brains, etc. It's a wonder I didn't grow up to be Jeffrey Dahmer... or a biologist.

As far as skulls go, what if you're a big Planescape: Torment fan? And there's always the classic candle/skull on the desk thing for aspiring wizards and necromancers.

 

I've heard of people keeping the cremated ashes of loved ones on their mantle or something like that...

 

(UK) I very vaguely recall something about needing a licence to keep a human spine, but can't find anything online now. I had a couple of friends whose dads were (are) doctors and they had full skeletons at home.
You apparently need a license to publically display human remains which are less than 100 years old.

 

Hmmh... Well, at least, I doubt the woman will have any problems about keeping it, seeing that the officers would have probably contacted relatives, if there were any. And if the case isn't so, chances are that the late lady was the only child and there are no relatives to come and collect it.
Actually, with proper licences, I think you can keep bones, at least. Since I've seen at least two known artists that work with human bones, I think it's legal.

 

That was subtle

 

Human skull mug! Best use of human remains there is and will give you a cool "evil overlord" aura.

 

I wonder why your mums neighbour wanted to give the skull away? hmmmmmmmmm

Maybe its a haunted/cursed skull, and the only way to avoid the curse is to have someone willingly accept it. There is much to learn from the Twilight Zone...

 

Oooh if Cuchulain's right can I have it please, I'll hug it and pet it and call it George. Seriously though if it has the jawbone intact with it I would be interested in it, mine doesn't have a jawbone and doesn't really look right.

 

I don't see anything wrong in keeping human remains as long as they are of the sort that don't rot. If some wierdo want to keep some human remains in thier closet I really don't care, it's fine by me as long as they don't smell.

As far as I'm concerned people should not be punished for doing anything that just harms themselvs (use of drugs e.t.c.).