An exhibition of corpses is coming to Dublin, but there are concerns over where exactly the bodies came from, writes Fiona McCann
IT HAS BEEN viewed by more than 11 million visitors, and is being touted as an educational opportunity by its organisers, but a new exhibition of dissected human bodies and body parts set to open in Dublin this month has raised concern in education circles in Ireland.
Bodies . . . The Exhibition features the bodies and body parts, preserved through a process called plastination, which was pioneered by Gunther von Hagens. However the German scientist, who is behind a similar exhibition called Body Worlds, has no involvement in the show being brought to Dublin's Ambassador Theatre by event promoters MCD.
The Bodies exhibition caused controversy in the US when it was revealed that some of the bodies involved were unidentified or unclaimed, which means neither the people involved nor their families had provided consent for their preservation or use in the exhibition.
For this reason, educational groups in Ireland are recommending that schools keep students away. "Because of the concerns around how the bodies have been sourced and whether consent was available or not, schools should not bring students to the exhibition," says Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary Schools in Ireland. "I would be recommending schools not to support such a questionable commercial activity, because it is a commercial activity regardless of the educational aspect."
His concerns are echoed by Eileen Flynn, general secretary of the Catholic Primary School Management Association. "From an educational perspective, it may be very worthwhile for somebody interested in the wonder of the human body," she admits.
"However, in a modern technological age, that very same outcome can be arrived at without any violation, or even any hint or suggestion of lack of respect for a human being before or after death. Because there are questions in regard to the undermining of human dignity attendant to this exhibition, one could not recommend it without hesitation."
Cheryl Mure, director of education for the show's operator Premier Exhibitions, argues that the educational benefits of the exhibition make it suitable for Ireland's school children. "I think it's very suitable for upper-primary school children, to be able to understand how the systems of their bodies work, because they do study digestion, breathing and circulation. This gives them a chance to see it first hand, and that always makes the learning more impactful."
THE EXHIBITION contains views of the human muscular, respiratory and circulatory systems, as well as featured specimens that include a healthy human lung next to a black lung taken from the body of a smoker.
A separate room will contain human foetuses, showing various stages of embryonic and foetal development, but will have a sign outside advising visitors to bypass that section should they find it disturbing.
Premier Exhibitions states that all the foetuses in the exhibition died in utero, and has defended the use of bodies without consent. "The bodies are unclaimed bodies, with no known next of kin," says Mure.
"We've done due diligence, working closely with our partners, and we stand firm and are 100 per cent comfortable with the origins of the specimens."
But the company has run into trouble abroad, with an investigation by the New York State attorney general's office resulting last year in a settlement with Premier Exhibitions, which included an admission that the company could not prove that the bodies involved were not those of prisoners who might have been tortured or executed.
Following the settlement, the New York exhibition was forced to include signs warning visitors of the unknown history of the bodies used, and was required to refund people who had seen the exhibition without being made aware of the questions over the origins of the bodies involved.
According to a statement from Premier, the bodies come from a plastination facility in Dalian, China, with legal documentation from the Chinese supplier stating that only the bodies of people who are deceased from natural causes have been included in the exhibition, and were acquired by legal
and ethical means.
Dr Roy Glover, the chief medical director of Bodies . . . The Exhibition, who will be in Dublin for the exhibition opening, has sworn an affidavit stating he has examined the specimens and seen no evidence of trauma or bodily injury associated with torture or execution.
Human-rights groups remain unconvinced, however, citing China's human-rights record, and even Irish scientists and medical professionals have expressed unease with the manner of obtaining bodies.
Dr Siobhán Ward, chief technical officer in the anatomy department at Trinity College Dublin, who attended a course on plastination run by von Hagens, says that the technique itself is valuable, and the opportunity for those not in the medical profession to see how the human body works could have educational benefits, but is unhappy about the questions over consent.
"I would be interested to see it, because I know something about plastination and it is fascinating what they can do with new preservation techniques, but I would be much happier if the remains that were used in these exhibitions were consented to and properly recorded," she says.
"If anybody came in here and asked about our donors, I'd show them a signed donation form. That's something you probably won't see in that exhibition."
Von Hagens, the man who pioneered the plastination technique, was forced to return seven of the corpses he used for his own Body Works exhibition in 2004, when it emerged that at least two of the corpses he had stored had bullet holes in their skulls.
The German anatomist, who appeared in a Channel 4 documentary, now states he only uses bodies belonging to those who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for medical or educational purposes.
Bodies . . . The Exhibition opens at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin on January 24th.
www.bodiesdublin.com