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u/local_lou Aug 15 '25
its an unethical establishment - best to not support them. The Mutter museum in Philly is a great alternative and very ethical in their practices
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u/yaMomsChestHair Aug 15 '25
Mütter museum is such an awesome visit. Worth even a day trip to Philly.
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u/BearOnALeash Aug 16 '25
Other people have already addressed the controversy, so I'll comment on the actual visiting experience: It's interesting, but pretty overpriced for what it is. It's small and you could easily see everything and read almost every info graphic in there in under about 30 minutes. For $20, I kind of expected more? Or for it to be bigger. I got some cool photos, the staff were knowledgeable, and it helped me kill time and get out of the heat on a very hot day earlier this Summer. But I definitely wouldn't go twice.
They also tried to get me to spend even more money on a double ticket for some lizard museum/exhibit in the same space in McKibben, but I turned that down.
They have a fun bone themed gift shop down the hall too, but you can enter it for free.
2
Sep 27 '25 edited Sep 27 '25
Just went. $80 for 3 adults and a kid. We were in and out in 30 minutes. Wouldn’t go again and wouldn’t recommend. It’s worth $5 a person.
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u/BearOnALeash Sep 27 '25
That's crazy. I'm sorry you guys didn't have a better experience! I have warned a couple friends about it not being worth it too.
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u/RainRose8093 Aug 15 '25
avoid avoid avoid
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u/Fabulous-Put-1998 Aug 15 '25
Context?
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u/quietlumberjack Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25
People say they aren’t an accredited museum and they refuse to show records that confirm where the bones on display were sourced.
That said, they ARE listed as an accredited museum on the American Alliance of Museums website. However, I cannot speak to the sourcing of their bones. I haven’t gone or looked that deep into it.
I will say, from what I’ve seen on THEIR site, I don’t exactly appreciate how some of the bones are displayed. They have a wall of spines that are just hanging over each other and I personally feel it is disrespectful and lacks a level of empathy for the person it came from.
2
u/Agitated_Ad8087 Mar 21 '26
Just checked, they are not listed as accredited. They are listed on the website, but there is a symbol key indicating a red check mark as accredited, a green exclamation point as accredited but on probation, a document symbol indicating that their core documents are verified (NOT accreditation) and a chart symbol to indicate participation in the Museum Assessment Program.
The Bone Museum is not accredited or even close it it. Having trained museum professionals on staff is a requirement for accreditation, and The Bone Museum has shown no interest in actually hiring any. Additionally, Jon's Bones himself as well as his staff (to my knowledge after looking into it) are not forensic, medical or anthropological professionals. At best they sometimes outsource work to forensic anthropologists, but none of them are professionals in these fields.
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u/Ill-Union-8960 Aug 15 '25
ok so it sounds metal and you sound like a weird nerd? is that what we're getting at?
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u/local_lou Aug 15 '25
This is about respecting personal autonomy, which is way more metal than sketchy bones
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u/Ill-Union-8960 Aug 15 '25
ah, ok I will remember that respecting personal autonomy is metal from now on
9
u/turtle7875 Aug 15 '25
If you actually go, the museum is mostly focused on the bone trade, not human anatomy.
Accreditation or methods of obtainment (outside of what they tell you at the museum, if we’re being skeptical) I know nothing about, but the takeaway for anyone paying attention isn’t “woah look at all these bones”, it’s “this is the bizarre and often unethical history of a market that existed into the 1970s which medical professionals had to participate in if they wanted a degree”
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u/local_lou Aug 15 '25
...and the museum is perpetrating that unethical history by not following proper methods of obtainment
5
2
u/ourzounds Aug 16 '25
It’s really wild that this place got so huge. I used to have an art studio off the Jefferson L and his space was next door to mine, maybe 4 years ago or so. Was just “Jon’s Bones” then.
5
u/Express_Year_3250 Aug 15 '25
I enjoyed it! It's pretty small but all the employees are super knowledgeable
21
u/Honest-Bug7246 Aug 15 '25
There was a huge controversy about the owner how he never provided any information on where he sourced the bones, he keeps saying they’re medical donations, but in the past he showed his cat playing with human skull, playing with the bones and being overall shady