Lately, Gothamist Science has barely been able to walk down the street, take the subway, or even look out our own window without seeing a poster for the Bodies exhibition still going on down at South Street Seaport. The show centers around beautifully dissected examples of entire human cadavers and organs, both normal and diseased. The latest victim of this extensive ad attack is Bellevue Hospital, where the above poster was spotted this week. While we're down with bringing P.T. Barnum-type science exhibits to the masses, we were less sure what to think of the curators claim that the bodies were "respectfully presented." The guy's shooting a basketball for god's sake!
As the original controversy (the bodies are actually those of unclaimed Chinese prisoners acquired from medical schools) has already faded from the public eye, we wonder if positioning the cadavers in such a care-free way is, in fact, respectful. The idea of cadavers being posed playing sports and swing dancing seemed to take the whole thing a little too casually. That being said, the exhibit is still amazing, both in its preservation technique and arrangements. And since the show's been extended until December you should definitely catch it. Use the code "DOC" when ordering tickets for a 20% discount.
