Body Language

The cadaver of a skinless man, sinewy muscles exposed, balletically poised to shoot a basketball. A smoker's tar-coated black lung juxtaposed with the healthy lung of a nonsmoker. Fetuses in various stages of development. A human heart surrounded by the intricately filigreed network of blood vessels and veins that resemble sea coral.

All are among the 22 preserved human bodies and 260 specimens to be displayed as part of the controversial anatomy show "Bodies . . . The Exhibition," scheduled to open Saturday in Rosslyn.

More than 3 million people have seen the "Bodies" exhibit, which is currently on display in six cities including Seattle and Durham, N.C. New York's installation, which was expected to close three months after it opened in 2005, is still drawing crowds. The show is slated to run here through Oct. 28.

Since their inception, the exhibits have been dogged by questions about the provenance of the specimens, all of which are Chinese. Officials at Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, which is mounting the show, say the bodies were unclaimed corpses, not executed prisoners or cadavers obtained from dubious sources, as has been speculated.

Roy Glover, Premier's chief medical adviser, said all the bodies came from people who died of natural causes and whose remains had been donated for medical purposes. All were obtained, he said, from Dalian Medical University in China and are preserved by a process that uses liquid silicone rubber to create a permanent lifelike specimen that does not decay.

"Our obligation is to display them in a dignified and respectful manner for educational purposes," said Glover, an emeritus professor of anatomy and cell biology at the University of Michigan. "It would be unethical and illegal" as well as "suicide for the company and stockholders" to use illegally or improperly obtained bodies, he added.

The primary purpose of the exhibit, Glover said, is educational, although some people may see artistic merit. "The human body is exquisite in structure and function, and a lot of people see beauty in that. But we're in the business to educate people," he said. The goal, Glover noted, is to inform people about the way their bodies work and about the effects of some of the decisions they make, such as whether to smoke and what they eat.

The show is suitable for most children over the age of about 6 accompanied by a parent or teacher, organizers say. So far, according to Glover, more than 200,000 schoolchildren have seen it. Premier has produced several teachers' guides, and other materials are available online ( http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com).

"It's a great place for parents to talk to their children about health-related issues" such as smoking, diet and even reproduction, Glover added. ·

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