BODY WORLDS in Haifa: A Scientific, Spiritual Experience for Those Who Choose to See It

LOS ANGELES - The continuing media coverage of the debate in Israel over the upcoming
BODY WORLDS exhibition in Haifa has inadvertently neglected to present the
many dimensions of this scientific and scholarly endeavor.

The historical, religious, and scientific contexts of anatomical
exhibitions in general and BODY WORLDS in particular, the support of our
public health exhibition by religious groups and spiritual leaders across
faiths including Judaism, and the lifestyle conversions and philosophical and
religious insights reported by millions of our visitors are worthy of full
consideration in this vigorous discourse about BODY WORLDS
(www.bodyworlds.com/en/media/temp.html).

Our exhibitions are firmly set in the tradition of scientific, aesthetic
anatomy that began during the Renaissance when it was believed that man’s
life was worthy of study and contemplation. Anatomy and dissection were
viewed by early religious as a gaze at divinity and as memento mori-profound
reminders of one’s own mortality and the life to come.

Before there was BODY WORLDS, there was the work of Renaissance
anatomist, Andreas Vesalius (1514 - 1564), author of a canonical medical
reference that became the foundation of modern anatomy, and by extension,
contemporary Western medicine. Before there was plastination, there were
early anatomical specimen preservation methods as varied as herbal compotes
and wax, and religious displays of post-mortal relics by the church. And
before there was clinical anatomy, there were the humanistic explorations of
Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo through dissections.

In discussing BODY WORLDS, there have been allegations that the
anatomical specimens in the exhibit stem from bodies other than those of
donors. These statements are categorically false. BODY WORLDS is a unique
joint work in science-a collaboration between anatomist, donors, and
visitors. The Institute for Plastination’s body donation program, with a
roster of more than 9990 donors, has been vetted by bio-ethicists, museum
lawyers, and ad hoc ethics committees assembled by dozens of venerable
museums in the United States and Europe. The main findings of these ethics
reviews have been reported widely in science publications, including the
esteemed Journal of Medical Humanities, the international academic journal
for medical researchers.

BODY WORLDS elicits a range of opinions in the Jewish community, and
among its medical practitioners, scientists, ethicists, and religious
leaders. Though there are those who oppose the exhibition, there are many
more who do not. In Boston, Rabbi D. Meyer told the Jewish Journal that the
exhibition was “inspirational and can actually deepen Jewish spirituality -
showing the beauty and complexity of the human body and exalting the miracle
of creation.” In Los Angeles, Rabbi M. Feinstein added his support for the
exhibition in an ethics review: “When we see with our own eyes the
unbelievable design of the human body in all its fine detail, it helps us
understand better the designer who created and shaped humanity.”
(www.bodyworlds.com/Downloads/englisch/Media/Press%20Kit/BW_LA_Summary
ofEthicalReview.pdf)

While we are delighted that so many visitors find religious meaning in
the exhibitions, BODY WORLDS is, for us, a scientific work focused on human
anatomy and health. We present the exhibition only to those who wish to see
it, and respect the decision of those who choose not to visit the exhibition.

BODY WORLDS will be on display at MadaTech in Haifa, Israel on April 09,
2009. For more information visit: www.bodyworlds.com and www.bodyworlds.co.il

Source: BODY WORLDS

In Israel, Arbel Communications, 972-3-699-2121, arbel3 at arbel.biz; or in USA, Gail Hamburg, +1-312-602-5369, g.hamburg at plastination.com, or Georgina Gomez, +1-213-291-9572, g.gomez at plastination.com, all for BODY WORLDS