Bodies the Exibit

“Has anyone been to see this exhibit yet? My wife and I are going this weekend. Should be very interesting.

http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/”

“Saw it in Atlanta, Ga. dang fine exhibit.”

“Pardon my misspelling the title. That's Exhibit. Not Exibit.”

“Saw it in London. I thought it was intersting. My friend thought it was kind of grisly.”

“I haven't had a chance yet, but am going to go see it before it leaves Cincinnati.”

“I'm sure there was something like this in Baltimore this weekend. It was right by my hotel.”

“Premier Exhibitions Inc. is facing growing opposition to its "Bodies... The Exhibition" tour, with claims mounting the cadavers used in the exhibits came from executed prisoners and that the exhibition is unethical.

Atlanta-based Premiere Exhibitions (NASDAQ: PRXI) came under fire earlier in February, after ABC-TV's 20/20 ran a piece alleging the company's traveling shows were connected to global body trafficking. In response, Premiere Exhibitions released a statement saying a competitor manufactured the "baseless claims" and that the claims are without merit.

"Bodies... The Exhibition," currently displayed at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, shows plasticized cadavers frozen in various poses with sections of the body flayed or dissected to reveal the complicated mechanics of the human body. The show is controversial due to its subject matter, but now claims from ordinary people, lawmakers and media outlets are growing against Premiere Exhibitions. Questions abound about how the company got the cadavers and from where the specimens came.

20/20 claimed in one report that Premiere Exhibitions' supplier Dr. Sui and the Dalian Medical University Plastination Co. Ltd. have no connection to Dalian Medical University and that the specimens they acquired and leased to Premier did not come from Dalian Medical University.

In a statement, the company said Sui earned his doctorate degree in neuroscience from Dalian Medical University and has been on staff there since 1990 where he heads the anatomy department. The company also said the specimens at issue were initially leased from Dalian Medical University Plastination. At that time Dalian Medical University owned a 70 percent interest in the Dalian Medical University Plastination Co. and the university has provided specimens to the plastination company and then to Premier Exhibitions.

Another report claims not all of the specimens in the exhibition died of natural causes. Premier Exhibitions said it has a team of medical experts, made up of an anatomist, a biological anthropologist, and a forensic pathologist, who examine the specimens to ensure they do not bear any evidence consistent with trauma, serious bodily injury, execution or torture. Premiere Exhibitions said all of the specimens it displays died of natural causes and despite extensive investigation, it has found no credible evidence to suggest otherwise. As the world's leading

But Premiere Exhibition's rebuttals have not stopped the flow of negative publicity.

The New York attorney general has begun an investigation into the claims against Premiere Exhibitions.

On Tuesday, Pennsylvania state Rep. Michael E. Fleck, a Huntingdon Republican, said he will propose legislation to outlaw the commercial exhibition of human cadavers without written consent from the deceased or their next of kin that verifies the person's intent to be used in a profit-making enterprise. California and Washington state legislators are already debating new laws that would ban exhibitions that do not have documented proof that people consented to have their bodies used commercially.

Another report this week shows a North Carolina woman is building a grassroots movement across the nation against human cadaver exhibitions, bringing together politicians, religious leaders, anatomists and investors in Premiere Exhibitions.

And religious leaders in several American cities, including St. Louis and Cincinnati, have also protested the "Bodies... The Exhibition" tour on ethical grounds, saying the show disrespects the dead.

On Feb. 19, Premier Exhibitions named Harold "Bud" W. Ingalls chief financial officer.

Ingalls recently was CFO of CardioMEMS, overseeing the completion of two private financing rounds totaling more than $45 million. From 2001 to 2006, Ingalls was CFO of Serologicals Corp.

In January, Premiere Exhibitions reported its net income rose 23 percent to $2.7 million on $16.7 million in revenue for the third quarter.”

“This would not fly with fundaMENTAList Muslims either.

Yeah, it's in Baltimore now or just finishing.

Strange........

"I'm sure there was something like this in Baltimore this weekend. It was right by my hotel."
Y2

You were in Baltimore?
For what, The Silly Libby Convention?
last edited: 3/26/08 9:06:26 AM”

“One of the shows has been in Sacto for about three months. I refer to it as the plasticized Chinese political dissident display. I haven't dropped the coin to see it. I would see the original that the German guy invented, but not this traveling money maker. It sounds cool enough, but I've seen the human body dissected plenty in pathology books during my morbid curiosity phase in life.”

“MarkO - just a flying visit to go to a wedding at the weekend.”

“http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html

This one is at Maryland Science Center at Baltimore Inner Harbor.

Gunther von Hagens invented "Plastination"......”

“We had it here in Detroit for a very long time; almost a year. I didn't get to see it, but I've seen a lot of the exhibit on the tube. Looks pretty good.

Minish has a point. There is a little issue about where they came from.”

“Jimmy Hoffa?”

“The bodies came from Dalian Medical University. Premier Exhibitions stated in a press release...

"Another report suggests that not all of the specimens died of natural causes. Premier
Exhibitions, Inc retains and utilizes a team of medical experts, comprised of an anatomist,
a biological anthropologist, and a forensic pathologist, who as a matter of course,
examine the specimens to ensure that they do not bear any evidence consistent with
trauma, serious bodily injury, execution or torture. All of these specimens died of natural
causes and despite extensive investigation, Premier has found no credible evidence to
suggest otherwise. Independent medical evidence supports the sworn statements given to
Premier by the supplier of the specimens, that all of the specimens died of natural causes.
Sworn affidavits can be found on our website at www.prxi.com."

http://www.prxi.com/pdf/2020response.pdf
last edited: 3/26/08 6:37:50 PM”

“Nigal I enjoyed the stuff It's well worth a visit.”

“The exhibit was at Easton awhile back. I saw it in Atlanta so I didn't bother driving across Columbus to see it again. COSI has a few exhibits with dead bodies...fetuses (miscarriages) at all stages of development, the chest of a criminal sliced into 1 inch slices and placed on moveable slides, a shrunken head from the 50's which is authentic, and I think a few more body pieces here or there.”

“"The bodies came from Dalian Medical University. Premier Exhibitions stated in a press release..."

That's the "company line" that they give. I don't blame them, they stand to lose a lot of money if it were proven that those folks were obtained in a poor way. However, observe with clean conscience -- it's a good exhibit.”

“I highly doubt there is an oak panaled, polished office in some big corprate building where there sits a Mr. Burns rubbing his hands together rasping, 'Excelennnnnt...'.

I like to be skeptically optomistic without seeing boogymen behind every bush. Not that this is describing you.”

“"I like to be skeptically optomistic without seeing boogymen behind every bush. Not that this is describing you."

Oh, I know. I'm working toward working in the Museum field. I'm actually starting a new job at a local historic home in the next few weeks. It's more of a resume building position.

The reason I offer my angle on this subject matter is that this has been the subject of a lot of conversation in my course work. I personally have not been witness to any overwhelming evidence that those bodies have been procured unethically, but provenience of museum objects is a thorn that is currently plaguing the many major and well respected museums presently.

I have seen suggestions of improper procurement of those objects, so while my "radar is hot", nothing fully supports unethical procurement, yet.

We'll see. The museum field is current the subject of a major shake down of their objects. What I was cautioning is that of course the producers of the exhibit will say what they are saying. It's not suggesting anything other than that. I'm in no way implying that there is some "wild cabal" behind it; rather, potential unscrupulous, nefarious persons who are looking to make a buck.
last edited: 3/27/08 6:05:35 PM”

“They just don't run wild cabals like they used to. LOL! Good luck in your work. Sounds very interesting.”

“lol. thanks, nigal.”

“Cool.   Plasticised by the body snatchers.

How much art at MOMA was stolen by the Nazis?”

“It's not just the Nazi art that are causing an uproar in museums. NAGPRA, unscrupulous curators, people trying to launder their collections through museums, the list goes on.

It's actually not toooo bad. Collections Management is the position I'm shooting for. This negative is an opportunity for me make sure that museum objects are in the hands of the proper owners.”

“invasion of the body snatchers”

“I've heard it can be a horrendous legal mess that goes on for decades (like Exxon).

Then you have Donald Southerland and the Pod People to deal with.”

“In addition, changes in laws can mean the aquisition was made legally many years ago, but the object is now considered purloined and is expected to be returned, not to mention the loss of asset value to the museum's collection and the money already out of pocket.

Plus provenance of an object can be forged or confused.”

“Witnesses long dead.....   paper trails of smoke and mirrors.....   art worth hundreds of millions.....   Big Fun!”

“Plus there are of course no people who die unidentified and unclaimed in the world. Even in China there is no death from natural causes that goes undocumented and unreported. Let's face it... In all likelihood the folks who are raising the questions about origin most likely have an axe to grind which is in no way related to world of artistic expression. There was a company by the name of Edmunds Scientific (don't know if they still exist) They sold hundreds of skeletons for academic and medical display use. No one ever threw a hissy about that. What makes this different is the "naughty bits" are exposed. Oh well.”

“I visited the Bodyworlds exhibition in San Jose this winter. Awesome...yet repulsive at the same time. Absolutely fascinating.

Kind of like rubber necking at an accident only it is up close and personal. You can see every thing there is to see. They had the authorization forms on display that one signs when donating their body. I am considering this......don't like the thought of worms and such.

If you want to see what smoking does to a lung, liver damage, cardio pulmonary diseases, obesity...you name it; it is on display in all its human frailty. How about a skater, ballerina, or someone in a full on yoga pose. You need to see this.

Well worth the entrance fee unless you are squemish (bad spelling).”

“I think this stuff is way cool- back in the mid 80's I was an anatomy model for a sculpture class and they had some plastinated "pieces" in the studio. That was the first time I saw anything like that.
The school also had a preserved horse they rigged up from time to time- I used the crate for a modeling platform.”

“"What makes this different is the "naughty bits" are exposed. Oh well."

That sort of thing will get puritan types upset.

I like the Simpsons episode where they had Michaelangelo's David in Springfield.

Some of the local "puritans" objected to "David's Doodle".”

“as long as they provide notice of the nature of the exhibit i would not have a problem. people have the right to choose but with that comes the responsibility of giving the the information to make a decision.”