The University of Tennessee’s renowned Forensic Anthropology department has brought a special exhibit to the Frank H McClung Museum. “Forensic Anthropology: An Exhibition,” sponsored by First Tennessee Foundation and the Lucille S. Thompson Family Foundation, informs patrons of the scientific techniques and practical applications of Forensic Anthropology in the field.

Exhibit curators from the Forensic Anthropology program, Lee Meadows Jantz and Murray Marks, provided the museum with numerous specimens, research data and images from the department’s collection for display. These examples included specimens from the Anthropological Research Facility, founded by William Bass, a site dedicated to the scientific study of the process of decomposition.  This facility is known to students as the “Body Farm” due to the rows of human cadavers.

The collection includes three custom facial reconstructions from forensic artist Joanna Hughes; these types of reconstructions are used by law enforcement to help identify decomposed bodies.“This exhibit is designed as an introduction, it's not just for forensic's students but also as a basic example to explain Forensic Anthropology,” she said.

The Tennessee Medical Examiner has included the skulls of gunshot wound and blunt trauma victims to show the comparison of differing kinds of trauma. Comparisons of woulds help identify the type of bullet or weapon used in murder cases.  

Museum Educator Debbie Woodiel explained than exhibits like this are planned about three years in advance, and they are designed to inform people outside of the anthropological community.  

Visitors are shown how Anthropology can identify the sex, age and health of a subject through the study of its bones. They see for Forensic Anthropologists differentiate between current and previous trauma; identifying if an unhealed injury factored into the specimen.

The exhibit also has photos of the process of decomposition that explain how temperature, wildlife and insects can slow or speed the rate of decay. Woodiel said that due to the graphic nature of the images a warning sign is posted on the website and entrance to the exhibit. She also said that photography is forbidden due to the human specimens within the exhibit.  

“Because of the nature and sensitivity of the images I do not schedule elementary schools, and I warn any group under college level about the images,” Woodiel said. 

“Forensic Anthropology: An Exhibit” will be open at the McClung Museum through April, closing on May 7th.

Admission is free, and the museum hours are listed on their website .