No Body's Business: Drawing the Line

Between Art, Science

 Jessica Safavimehr, staff writer

Recently, an exhibit opened in New York, displaying skinless cadavers and internal organs.

The exhibit, so named “Bodies…The Exhibition,” is meant to be sort of an informative look into the human body and how it functions. Some exhibits include a skinless cadaver in a football player’s pose and another pictures a cadaver holding hands with its own removed skeleton. All of these exhibits are meant to show how the muscles and bones work together.

Human rights activists are angered by the exhibit and claim that the bodies were obtained illegally from the Chinese government. Another human rights argument is that these people donated their bodies to science not to art. The counter argument is that this display is science. It is an educational tool allowing people to learn how our bodies work.

I seem to find myself somewhere in the middle on this issue, which is quite strange because I have yet to find an issue I feel moderate about. I fully intend to donate my body to science, but I an not sure I would want it to be on display in an exhibit in a museum for public view. I believe that donating one’s body to science is crucial for further advancements in the medical field. I know that I would want someone to be able to use my body, internal organs, or bones to find a cure for some disease.

Science is one thing, but art? Now that is another entirely different area. I see this exhibit as more art than science. I do not plan on seeing an exhibit like this, nor do I want to be apart of it. I believe that the cadavers should be used to find cures for diseases instead of being displayed, even if it was to provide a public educational tool.

I think the human rights activists may have a strong argument against this display. I also think that if this display were to be used as an educational tool, than why is it not on display for the public and not  just for the medical students? Yes, the public may be interested, but shouldn’t the tool be used to help those who will one day become doctors? As science continues to amaze us, I am sure many more exhibits like this one will come available.  Who knows? One day every museum might have a body exhibit of its own.