Bodies ... the controversy: Exhibit organizers say remains all legally obtained
Preserved human cadavers, foetus and body parts from China might soon be displayed in a vacant Rte. 30 building as part of ``Bodies...The Exhibition,'' which organizers call an ``educational presentation'' about anatomy and healthy living.
Premier Exhibitions, Inc. announced plans yesterday to display 13 complete bodies and 250 individual organs and body parts at 500 Cochituate Road in the building formerly occupied by Comp USA.
The bodies have been treated with liquid silicone rubber that lets them be posed in ``athletic'' and ``dynamic'' positions such as kicking a soccer ball to display their musculature, organs and digestive and other systems, said Dr. Roy Glover, chief medical adviser for the exhibit.
A professor emeritus of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Michigan, he said all human remains in the exhibit came from people who ``died of natural causes.'' They were obtained legally by Dalian Medical University in the Peoples Republic of China and have been leased to Premier Exhibitions for the exhibit, he said. ``We are the caretakers. They are treated with dignity and respect,'' said Glover yesterday. ``When they are not used, they will be returned and interred by the medical school.''
Glover said he is ``absolutely comfortable'' none of the bodies in the exhibit come from Chinese prison inmates who were executed or died in custody. ``After teaching anatomy 35 years in medical school, a trust was given to me. I wouldn't be involved with this (exhibit) if I had any concerns to the contrary,'' he said.
Glover said the exhibit is organized into nine galleries designed to take visitors ``on a walking tour through the body.''
Bodies in the exhibit are often displayed playing a sport with the skin removed to show how the skeletal or muscular systems work. In other cases, tobacco-damaged lungs might be displayed next to healthy lungs to discourage smoking, said Glover.
``It's all about education. We want visitors to see how the normal body functions and all the amazing things it can do,'' he said. ``And we want people to understand the choices they make can have a positive or negative impact on their lives.''
While the exhibition is scheduled to open Saturday, Oct. 27 with a press preview next Tuesday, Framingham Building Commissioner Mike Foley said he had not issued an occupancy permit as of yesterday after meeting with company representatives.
To receive a permit, exhibitors must meet all requirements regarding fire alarms and building safety. However Foley said satisfying those requirements ``wouldn't be problematic.''
``I need to see the facilities and see how they'll maintain it. We have to look at the exit areas and do a safety
check,'' he said.
Though similarly describing itself as an educational show, ``Bodies...The Exhibition'' has no connection with ``Body Worlds,'' a 2006 exhibit of ``plastinated'' corpses which attracted large crowds and some controversy at the Museum of Science in Boston.
That show's organizer, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who claims to have invented the plastination process, said at the time people specifically donated their bodies knowing they'd be displayed in his show.
``Bodies...The Exhibition'' offers merchandise based on the show including plastic eye balls, coffee mugs, message magnets with skeletal figures and skull and spine key chains.
Organizers expect the exhibit to remain in Framingham ``at least for several months'' but haven't yet designated a closing date, said Sue Tabb, of Thomson Communications which is publicizing the exhibit.
Similar shows organized by the Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions, Inc. have been seen by four million people in the U.S. and around the world since opening several years ago, she said.
Tabb said she is not aware of any current plans for ``Bodies...The Exhibition'' to be shown anywhere else in the Bay State or New England.
She referred a question about the bodies' origins to Premier Exhibitions but added ``everything was obtained 100 percent legally and ethically.''
Asked about the possibility of controversy about displaying the dead, Tabb said organizers ``anticipate there might be some.'' ``It's never been a huge obstacle. The educational component outweighs that,'' she said. ``The bodies are treated with respect. It's never been an obstacle. There's generally a few critics.''
ESSENTIALS
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. and can be obtained by visiting www.BodiesTickets.com or by calling 888-736-0278.
Adults are $24, seniors are $22 and children under 12 are $17.
Exhibition hours are <unday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.