Corpse show coming to Las Vegas Strip

[Grant]

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas is making room for yet another brazen display of bare flesh.

BODIES, The Exhibition is coming to the Tropicana resort on the Las Vegas Strip, hotel-casino officials told The Associated Press. The anatomy-meets-art exhibition displays preserved cadavers and internal organs in an attempt to educate visitors about the human body.

Critics call the exhibit, and the half dozen or so other traveling corpse shows like it, unethical and gross.

BODIES is scheduled to open June 23 and will display 22 corpses preserved with a liquid plastic. The partially skinned corpses are posed in "real life" positions to demonstrate the body at work — running, throwing, playing soccer and chess.

Organs — livers, hearts or brains — are set out for the curious to handle. Some are preserved in various stages of disease — a vivid demonstration of the effects smoking, drinking and eating on the body, promoters say.

"The specimens are prepared to teach people about the whole body system. We're trying to educate people to help them understand how their bodies work," said Dr. Roy Glover, chief medical adviser for the exhibit.

The exhibition debuted in Tampa, last year, over the objections of the state Anatomical Board which withheld its approval. It is similar to other traveling corpse shows that have drawn millions of curious spectators around the world, mostly in Europe and Asia. A similar show, called Body Worlds opened in the United States two years ago and was a hit in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and other cities.

Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions said the corpses on display will be those of Chinese people whose bodies went unclaimed or unidentified before being turned over to a medical school in China. Although Florida officials expressed concern that the company had not obtained consent from family members of the dead, Premier maintains that the corpses have been properly obtained and handled.

Glover said for confidentiality reasons he could share no additional information on the corpses' identities.

The show is scheduled to run six months, along with the casino's other main family attraction, Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.

Promoters advise parents to accompany children to the exhibit and are offering an audio tour for children and guide books for teachers.

Glover said he saw no reason why Las Vegas tourists won't want to get a behind-the-skin view of their health.

"Absolutely, everybody needs to learn about their body," he said. "Once you remove the skin and look inside, everything is the same. The body is something that should unite us."

Source: AP

[Grant]

Pretty creepy, but sounds interesting.

[GREGRIO]

It's actually very cool. It will be there for around
6 months, $22. per ticket. I'll see it in July...maybe
even take in FOLLIES BERGERE again too at the TROP!

Sounds interesting, hope it's still there when i visit in September

[GREGRIO]

I think it will be 'Fozzy', but call the Trop and check it out...
1.800.634.4000

It's very cool, the display are just amazing!

[FL Mary]

It doesn't sound like my type of entertainment.

[GREGRIO]

Ya know Mary, it was really quite amazing.
If you've got a thing about...'the bodies', then your
issue is noted, but remember the 'Visible Man/Woman' model?
...this is the DELUXE version. Being able to see the workings of
our ears, heart, lungs, veins, nerves, mussels, eyes, EVERYTHING
was something like you've never seen before!...and it wasn't gross.
The day I went, there were all ages of folks, a school group, moms
and dads explaining to their kids what things were what...
and all very tastefully done in great visual displayed cases or
full standing 'bodies'.

is it okay if I put up an animated avatar on my profile?

[GREGRIO]

......GO FOR IT 'THEAUTOGOD', God does what she wants, why
not you!