This presentation examines the historical and teaching value of medical history manuscripts, rare books, instruments, and anatomical collections in university settings. The extent to which surgical knowledge, specifically tacit learning (or the learning of ‘how-to’ skills), transpires through dissection classes, the handling of historical surgical instruments, and the close study of anatomical collections may be losing relevance. Today, an increasing number of individuals suggest that new teaching methods and the ethical concerns surrounding human remains make these collections obsolete. The ambiguities and complexities of legacy collections—or the ‘controversy’—will be discussed.