On October 20 1924 the Zoological Museum Agreement Act 1924 received assent. The Act ratified an agreement between Sir William Colin MacKenzie by which he transferred all his rights, title and interest in a collection of specimens and animals collected by him to the Commonwealth Government. For the first six years the Museum was housed on leased premises but in 1931 the present building in McCoy Circuit, Acton was constructed and the collection moved to Canberra. In the same year on 29 October 1931 the Australian Institute of Anatomy Agreement Act 1931 received assent. This Act ratified an indenture made between Sir William MacKenzie and the Commonwealth Government on 16 August 1928 to change the title of the National Museum of
Australian Zoology (CA 609) to the Australian Institute of Anatomy. Sir William MacKenzie continued as Director to the Institute (he had been Director to the Museum) until 1937 when he resigned due to ill health.
 
The Institute became part of the Commonwealth Department of Health upon its creation in 1931. For many years until 1970 the Institute had the two functions of being a natural history museum and pursuing research into human nutrition. Its formal designation within the Department of Health's administrative establishment was the ACT Nutrition Research Laboratory and Museum Section. In late 1970 the nutrition area was separated from the museum and became established as the Nutrition Unit of the Public Health Branch of the Department's National Health Division. From then on the Institute consisted only of the museum. In October 1971 the Nutrition Unit moved out of the Institute's building in Acton and into the Department's main offices. In November 1971 the Institute was made an attachment to the General Services Section of the Department of Health's Planning and Executive Services Branch. It was later attached to the ACT Office of the Department. In 1975 the Australian Institute of Anatomy Section was established within the Occupational Health Branch of the Department's Public Health Division. The Occupational Health Branch was then re-named the Social Health Branch. The Senior officer within the Institute was the Curator of the museum collection. The museum was divided into two galleries, one featuring anatomical displays and the other ethnographic displays.
 
Although the Institute was part of the Department of Health it continued to create its own records in relation to substantive matters, such as the maintenance of the collection and the arrangement of public displays. Major administrative matters were handled by the Social Health Branch of the Department of Health and documented in its records.
In the Administrative Arrangements Order of 13 December 1984, control of the Australian Institute of Anatomy Agreement Act 1924 was passed from the Minister for Health to the Minister for Arts, Heritage and Environment.
 
The National Museum of Australia (CA 4435) is now the controlling body for the records created by the now defunct Institute of Anatomy.  

Historical agency address
?1931- 1985 : McCoy Circuit, Acton, Canberra ACT
Legislation administered
Creation: Commonwealth of Australia Acts, No. 44 of 1931; Australian Institute of Anatomy Agreement Act 1931
Abolition: Protection of Movable Cultural Heritage Act 1986