Jeremy Bentham: Present but not Voting

I learned in class the other day that Jeremy Bentham requested that his body was preserved and then put on display at the University College in London where he was a professor. Unfortunately, his head did not preserve well, and was replaced with a wax one. However, the real head was placed at his feet until it got stolen one too many times by students. He is in a box with wheels and for special occasions he has been rolled into meetings to be marked on the attendance list as "present but not voting." A 360 degree view of Jeremy can be seen here. 

Fig 1 Jeremy Bentham on display

I stumbled upon Dr. Jenkins' blog while looking for a photo of Jeremy, and her blog is about displaying human remains in museums. Ethical issues always surround displaying human remains, and some examples include Body Worlds and Maori heads. 

Body Worlds is an exhibit that shows various parts of the human body like the nervous system and muscles. Maori heads are preserved heads taken by colonizers from New Zealand and have ended up in a number of museums. I feel like the differences between the two examples are the individual's permission. The people who are on display at Body Worlds have donated their bodies to science, whereas the Maori did not. As a result, the heads are being repatriated from museums all around the world (for example, France recently returned twenty heads). In Jeremy Bentham's case, he wished to be on display. I feel like his conscious choice validates the display... but what happens to individuals who lived thousands of years ago? 

Usually they are displayed in museums without anyone's permission because it is unclear who needs to give their permission. This is especially true with First Nations individuals, ancient Greeks and ancient Egyptians. I personally think that displays in museums where the remains were found are more respectful than touring exhibits where the remains can be damaged. If the remains stay in one place, even while on display, the remains are less disrupted. However, should the remains be displayed in the first place? I think they should be if there are no identifiable descendants and the people visiting the museum make a choice to see the remains (by having them in a separate area). Ethical concerns always surround displaying human remains in a public context, and should be addressed for each individual displayed.