“Our Body” is a galaxy where the colourfully preserved vessels of the kidneys, liver and lungs look like something that could grow under the ocean on a coral reef. The circulatory system resembles red seaweed hanging like tinsel on a skeleton.

Not everything is so pretty. A smoker’s lungs tell a deathly grey story. A brain damaged by a stroke is scarred, misshaped and asymmetrical.

Critics say some of the bodies are of mental patients and executed prisoners and are being displayed without consent. Some cite China’s human rights record. But the Witte’s CEO and President, Marise McDermott said that “Our Body” specimens—which belong to Life Sciences Institute in Beijing—were donated for scientific research and procured legally and ethically.

There’s no denying that people want to see such cadaver shows. “It’s definitely a major blockbuster exhibit,” said Todd Slisher, vice-president of science programmes at the Detroit Science Centre. “You just can’t see this anywhere. A textbook doesn’t compare.”
-HECTOR SALDANA (NYT)