In 2025, the Faculty of Medicine initiated an inquiry led by Professor Bo Ahrén, who was tasked with reviewing the history of the collection and its potential value for research today. During the investigation, Bo Ahrén analysed ethical issues, what laws and regulations apply, what opportunities there are to continue to store the collection within or outside Lund University, and what opportunities exist for a dignified ending of the collection.
“My investigation has been conducted through discussions with a large number of individuals within and outside Lund University and through discussions at boards and committees within the University,” says Bo Ahrén.
Background
The objects in the collection were mainly collected by Professor Ivar Broman (1868-1946), but to some extent also in the years after Broman’s death. Broman was professor of anatomy at Lund University from 1909 until his retirement in 1933 and continued his research until his death in 1946.
“He was a prominent researcher in comparative embryology and his research has meant a lot to Lund University. His research methodology was to collect embryos from various vertebrates, including humans, and study them under a microscope,” explains Bo Ahrén.
The objects that are currently in the collection were accumulated between the 1920s and 1950s. They were sent in from hospitals in Sweden, mainly in Skåne, but also north of Skåne, through the agency of Broman’s network of doctors and midwives. The objects were obtained mainly after abortions or the birth of deformed children. In total, more than 1,100 foetuses and children were collected. The objects that remain are whole foetuses and children or parts of foetuses that were not used in the research. Since the collection was completed, no researcher has used these objects in their research.
Today, the collection consists of 234 objects that are kept in 185 glass jars. The collection is well documented. Each jar has a conservation report and every foetus and child is photographed. There are also several scientific publications and other documents from the Tornblad Institute, an extensive collection of letters in the Broman Archive at the University Library, and an index of collected objects. If historical research is to be carried out on the collection in the future, the assessment in the report is that this material is sufficient without access to the glass jars.
The inquiry’s conclusions
“There are two main reasons why the University has now decided to discontinue this collection and carry out a dignified burial of the foetuses and children. One is that the research has been completed for several decades and there is thus no need for the material in the University's activities. The second, and very strong, argument for a discontinuation is that with today’s view of ethics, the collection was unethical and offensive to mothers as well as to the foetuses and children, and we do not want to continue this violation. Therefore, we are now giving these foetuses and deformed children a dignified end,” says Maria Björkqvist, dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
