I'm no prude. I'm a pathologist and have done many autopsies. But this exhibit is horrible for one reason. Some of the bodies have no documentation. Gunther Von Hagens has been accused of buying bodies which are likely Chinese political prisoners, possibly of Falun Gong. All should google and read up on this. The NY D.A. was right to go after him. For that reason alone, the exhibit is a tragedy. This latest bit of exhibitionism further proves he's a creep straight out of central casting. He's the spitting image of that Nazi from Raiders of the Lost Ark for cryin' out loud! And for the record... Pathology is full of fetishists hiding under the guise of being enlightened educators. Remember Kervorkian? I met a doctor who went to medical school with him and could tell you stories. I've met many other similar types during my career. Trust me... the dirtiest carnival freak show is less exploitative and be forgiven on certain levels. This cannot. It deserves to be shut down. As for the person writing of their being inspired to enter the medical field from this show. I can accept viewers sincerely being moved by the frankness of the exhibit....but if you cannot accept the possibility of this being a money making scheme that is actually a sad exploitation, then that's a shame. I dont mean to preach. But if these bodies are from political prisoners, this is truly a sorrowful thing. Don't be an apologist simply because the subject matter is fascinating. I understand that aspect....I went into medicine because of it.
@DoctorEcks: One more thing. See the link below about the reverse cowgirl photo in this exhibit. GVH has tastefully skinned both bodies with the exception of the female corpse's breasts. Anyone want to argue that this is purely for scientific purposes? As for Switzerland accepting this show...they accept the loot of the world in their banks. Accepting this exhibit is not an example of progressiveness. I say that anyone who thinks this is some sort of liberating show should be forced to go on a romantic weekend with Gunther. You'd by getting the F--K out of there within 5 minutes!
I understand the use of cadavers for medical research, and I believe such use is ethical. But this is not medical research. It is ethically problematic to present the bodies of once-living people to a general audience for indiscriminate purposes that may include entertainment. What we do with our dead says a lot about our respect for life — and our love of it.
Given the dubious ethics of presenting cadavers, among other ethically questionable activities, it is unfortunate that the originator should be a German national of the generation immediately following WWII. His blithe disregard for the dignity of human life in death puts him in the company of his father’s contemporaries—and fellow SS-men—Mengele, Wirths, and Heim.
@iplaudius: With von hagens, he's got a waiting list out the door of volunteers who want to be plastinated after they die and put on display. i don't really get it either, but I also think that looking at death directly, and what lies underneath or skin, is not necessarily disrespectful.
they used to have babies and the elderly long ago dude. when they had the exhibit at the exposition science center in los angeles back in 2005 i remember some asshole stole a plasticized fetus right out of the womb. fight on!
1. The deceased has better Pilates technique than I do, which really hacks me off.
2. This sideshow presentation of remains is disturbing. Von Hagens is disturbing, too; he doesn't take off his fedora for TV interviews and he's a generally disconcerting individual.
I saw the "knock off" (i.e., not von Hagens) exhibit in SF a few years ago. This was the exhibit where the origin of the bodies was questionable (von Hagens, from what I understand, has a years-long waiting list of willing donors) and the plastination process iffy (the bodies were sweating a combination of liquified human fat and silicone on their heads). Even so, I think everyone should go to one of these exhibits, whether they are fucking like porn stars or just playing tennis. It's weirdly moving. I don't know how to explain it.
@not2techy: The exhibition should make T-shirts with a picture of the bodies doing it on one side and a paraphrasing of your comment on the other. You, sir or madam, are quite profound.
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Given the dubious ethics of presenting cadavers, among other ethically questionable activities, it is unfortunate that the originator should be a German national of the generation immediately following WWII. His blithe disregard for the dignity of human life in death puts him in the company of his father’s contemporaries—and fellow SS-men—Mengele, Wirths, and Heim.
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2. This sideshow presentation of remains is disturbing. Von Hagens is disturbing, too; he doesn't take off his fedora for TV interviews and he's a generally disconcerting individual.
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I'd just hate to think that the end of life has to be the end of the things that made it worth living.
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I got three words for you:
Flavor of Love
09/15/09
I dunno, I think showing them teabagging each other would be popular with a certain segment of the population.
08/19/09
100% foolproof.