Human cadaver exhibit breaks museum records

TAMPA, Fla. - More than 12,000 people came to the Museum of Science and Industry in the first four days of a controversial exhibit featuring preserved human cadavers and body parts, shattering previous attendance records.

Museum officials said "BODIES, the Exhibition," showcasing human bodies preserved and posed so visitors can see their inner workings, broke records set in December 2003 when artifacts from the Titanic were displayed.

A one-day attendance record was broken Saturday when 5,917 people saw the corpse exhibit, surpassing the 3,500 that came to see the display about the sunken ocean liner its best day, the museum said.

The 20 cadavers and 260 other body parts are preserved with a process that replaces human tissue with silicone rubber. Skin is removed, exposing the rest - muscles, bones, organs, tendons, blood vessels and brains.

The exhibit came under fire from a state regulatory board whose members were uncomfortable that no permission was obtained from the deceased or their families to display the bodies in the museum. The bodies are those of Chinese people and were unclaimed or identified before being turned over a Chinese medical school that performed the "plastination."

Museum officials and promoters defied the Anatomical Board's decision to prohibit the exhibit, even opening it two days early. The board then dropped its effort to stop the show.

Planners say they hope the exhibit will lead to a better understanding of the human body and motivate people to take better care of themselves.