To go or not to go…
…that is the question facing many Pittsburghers, as well as concerned patrons of museums worldwide.
Bodies…The Exhibition is a showcase of real human bodies, that have been dissected and preserved for your viewing pleasure! According to the Science Center, the exhibit will “enlighten, empower and inspire,” obviously directed to the visitor and not to the dead bodies being displayed.
According to the Science Center’s press release: Visitors in-and-around the Pittsburgh region will have a unique opportunity to come face-to-face with approximately 15 polymer-preserved human bodies, and 200 additional organs and partial specimens in a way they never have before. These meticulously dissected bodies are preserved through an innovative process called polymer preservation and are respectfully presented. Visitors will have the opportunity to view the beauty and complexity of their own organs and systems. This up-close look inside the skeletal, muscular, respiratory, and circulatory systems clearly shows how lifestyle choices directly affect our health.
However, there has been major controversy surrounding the way the bodies have been acquired and the question has been raised whether these bodies have been obtained in a conscientious and legal manner.
The controversy has prompted more than questions, in fact Elaine Catz, an eleven year employee of the Science Center has resigned over the issue. She says:
“We don’t know how these people died or why they died, and I don’t think Premier knows, either,” she said, referring to the company, Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, that is presenting the show. “Before we put our stamp of approval on it, there should be a high burden of proof on Premier.”
I will rarely quote the Catholic Diocese, but I think they have a point here:
The cadavers come from China, a country with an atrocious record on human rights. Though the exhibition’s organizers have stated otherwise, it is difficult to determine satisfactorily whether the bodies are the result of human rights abuses.
Even if the cadavers were not victims of political repression, they would more than likely be from China’s poor. The right to dignity in the treatment of a deceased body is not waived because of poverty.
The exhibition has a website, which further discusses the exhibit, but not the controversy surrounding it.
Another one of the blogs in the 451 press commented on this exhibit as well, so check it out here.
And lastly, I honestly don’t know whether I’ll be visiting this exhibit or not. My fascination with anatomy and understanding things may outweigh the social and moral concerns surrounding the exhibit, but I don’t know. It’s going to be a tough call.
I just think it’s really sad how these bodies ended up on display for a bunch of people who never understood their lives or what they possibly had to go through to be in the place they’re in right now. I understand that they’re dead and it’s too late for them, but is there no dignity left for the imprisoned, the sick and abused even in death?
Ok I’ve made up my mind with that last thought. Unless I could know for sure whether these people consented to being put on display, I’m going to have to pass on going. It’s not worth understanding human anatomy in this way, no matter how mind-blowing the techniques may be. Although we try to understand human life through science, we shouldn’t hold that aim higher than holding our fellow human beings with respect.
But that’s just my opinion.
The exhibit is open daily from 10am-9pm.
The Carnegie Science Center is located at 1 Allegheny Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15212. Their hours and ticket information can be found here.
Pittsburgh, Carnegie Science Center, Bodies: The Exhibition, North Shore, controversy, health, bodies
November 13th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Emily -
There has never been any question regarding the consent issue. Premier Exhibitions (the promoter of BODIES…the Exhibition) has always been very up-front about the fact that NONE of the people whose corpses are exhibited gave his/her consent to be plastinated or displayed, nor did any of them ‘donate’ their bodies to ’science.’
For people who want to learn more about the controversy surrounding the exhibit before deciding whether or not to go, I’ve put together a website. On it I summarize the issues, back up the facts with reputable sources, and have links to the original sources so that people can make informed decisions.
Once they’ve done some reading, people who wish to protest against the exhibit can sign up to join a virtual picket line on the site.
I hope that you’ll check out The Anti-BODIES Virtual Protest Site at:
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzexqyla/anti-bodies-virtual-picket-line/
Thanks for reminding people to think twice before purchasing a ticket to BODIES…the Exhibition.
Elaine Catz
Former Carnegie Science Center employee
November 13th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
Elaine-
Thanks so much for responding and giving further information. I really appreciate it!
Emily
November 13th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Never knew dead bodies had right… I though rights were reserved for the living.
The right to life is the source of all rights—and the right to property is their only implementation.
I do agree that if these people were kill for this that is wrong. But if they died a natural death and no one told them not to or the body was left unclaimed after it was indentified, I don’t see a problem with that.
November 13th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
[...] Attack Mini Forbes Field by Jason Mosley After Emily’s post about conservancy at the Science Center I decide to cover some positive news about the place. I was reading in that [...]
November 13th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
You don’t see a problem with posing non-consenting dead bodies in grotesque ways for the enjoyment of others a problem?
Whatever, Mosley. I knew you’d take a non-humanist stance on a humanist issue.
November 13th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
To call the posed bodies “grotesque” is certainly a matter of opinion. I prefer “beautiful”, “educational”, “amazing”, and “awesome”. I can’t wait to see this exhibit this weekend. The picketers just mean less of a crowd!
November 14th, 2007 at 12:06 am
It’s grotesque, because of the possible reasons for their being there, not because they’re human bodies in general or because they are being posed to represent movement and function.
If there wasn’t any controversy surrounding this exhibit and there was no reason to suspect they were non-consenting, than I would be using the same adjectives as well and I would be going to see them. It’s just those adjectives aren’t fitting in this situation.
It’s like seeing a homeless person lying on the ground…you wouldn’t say ‘oh wow, how educational.’ But if they were snatched up to be dissected for an exhibit and you were saying, ‘oh wow. how amazing’ as you look at their insides and everything they consist of in microscopic detail, posed in activities that mock their inactivity in real life and only value them as some sort of science experiment…you start to see the moral implications of going to see such an exhibit. In this case, the exhibit goes beyond celebrating the human body and instead degrades it.
But like I said, everyone is free to have their own opinion and everyone has lines they won’t cross. This just happens to be one of mine.
November 14th, 2007 at 7:48 am
That’s true, and the people who are against the exhibit have a right to picket it. I believe that many cadavers used for educational use are obtained without the person’s consent as well. The cadavers I have studied were bodies that were not claimed. If it is ok for graduate students, I believe it should be ok for the general public.
I think it also depends on your thoughts of death. I believe that my body is just a vessel, and once I’m gone, people can do whatever they wish with it.
I respect that other people don’t feel the same way, though! There certainly are ways to appreciate anatomy and physiology without looking at cadavers.
November 14th, 2007 at 10:52 am
The belief is, is that they’re not just any regular, non-consenting, unclaimed bodies, but victims of abuse from the government, prisoners of war, etc and that this is like the final ‘I don’t care about your life, except for scientific amusement’ thrown at them in the course of their ill-treated life/death. Despite their being dead and unaware of their current condition doesn’t erase the harm done in my eyes, because we’re all still here to witness it.
But I understand where you’re coming from and I really wish there was no possibility these were Chinese citizens killed in inhumane and unnecessary ways by the government. I was really looking forward to seeing this exhibit as well.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
I just wanted to post an editorial that appears in this week’s City Paper in the editorial section just for those who may be interested:
Re: “Bodies: $22″ [Oct. 10], you hit the nail right on the head.
I got my medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1990. Now, when studying the human body, you have to keep a certain appreciation of the craziness of it all, for your own mental health. In med school, we used to call the Anatomy Lab “The Museum of Fine Parts.” It could disturb one’s sleep to be working with pieces of dead people for months on end, if you didn’t keep a certain sense of humor about it. But the Bodies exhibit actually crosses over into ghoulishness for a few reasons:
1) It’s important to have respect for the person who used to live in that body. After Anatomy, each class of young doctors has a ceremony in the Heinz Chapel to commemorate the lives of those we studied, and to thank them and their families. It’s very touching. And I’m sorry, but it’s just wrong to have fanciful displays of corpses playing volleyball, or someone’s guts stretched out across the room.
2) Most importantly, the corpses here are not Americans. In fact, the whole show lacks a proper American filter of our culture’s long history of respect for the dead in medical education. It is out of step with our traditions and values. Worse, the country that provided them has a long and ongoing history of severe human-rights abuses: We have no idea, no affidavits relating to the wishes of those dead individuals or their families. But I’ll wager anything they didn’t want to be playing volleyball for all eternity.
The argument about educating the public is misdirected here. Yes, everyone deserves to learn about the wonders of the body. The anatomy lab at the medical school has always been off limits to the public. It eventually got a combination lock and then even tighter security over the years after certain “incidents.” But instead of finding a respectful and imaginative way of educating, a wide berth is given to this circus sideshow of corpses from China. We can do better. Obviously there is a will.
– John G. Picone, Bangor, Me.
(The writer is a retired surgeon)
November 16th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
[...] since I’m supposed to link back to a previous post, check out the Bodies…Exhibition controversy with an additional editorial note from a surgeon [...]
November 16th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
“American filter”!?!?! haha!! Where would I be able to purchase one of these American filters?
Ah, not like it matters, we probably outsourced their production to China years ago…
(I’m sure the editorial writer meant well, I just couldn’t help but to find that phrase quite funny.)