Article on body exhibit lacks in-depth reporting

Editor,

I am a little disappointed with the cursory reporting in the human body exhibit story published in Wednesday's Daily Lobo.

Possessing an anthropology degree, I am somewhat familiar with the procurement of human specimens for education purposes. Many of the human skeletons used for forensic osteology courses throughout the country were once purchased from East Indian companies in the '60s and '70s. However, it was brought to light that these bodies were not procured in a manner consistent with the spirit of the U.S., as many of those skeletons were of people who were murdered.

In fact, trafficking in human bodies, alive or dead, is a business that goes back hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. Think of the slave trade or of the black-market organ trade that exists in many parts of the world.

And yet, here we are, presented with yet another form of human trafficking, but it seems like the reporter conducted only a phone interview with the proprietors of this atrocity.

Why is this article lacking any semblance of true investigative reporting? Couldn't the Daily Lobo have at least asked to see some of the records from this company if their existence was being called into question?

It also seems to me that when medical students object to showing cadavers, something must be amiss. I mean, aren't these people trained on cadavers? Shouldn't they want the general public to become as interested in the human body as they are?

I have been to the "Bodies in Motion" exhibit when I was in San Francisco, because I wanted to "know thy enemy."

I must say it was grotesque. Not because of the plasticization or because I was grossed out by dead people - what really set me off was these were once living, breathing people who were being touted as some type of freak show or a form of entertainment.

There was nothing educational presented, as Chester Hockersmith insinuates. In fact, the whole thing reeked of unethical exploitation. These companies are making millions of dollars off people who presumably did not donate their bodies to the exhibit.

Hockersmith stated that these bodies are not from China. Yet, the reporter failed to seek documentation of this assertion.

After checking the Web site nobodies4profit.org, I found that even had the reporter asked, there would not have been any answers. That is because the bodies were most likely of political prisoners who were assassinated.

Didn't it strike the reporter as strange that all bodies, including that of a pregnant mother, were somewhat fit and in their prime? Doesn't exactly sound like the homeless, unclaimable type to me.

Even if they were unclaimed, what right does that give anyone to strip them apart and display their innards to the general populace? I don't see CNN airing footage of Americans getting shot in Iraq or the genocidal killing in Rwanda. Yet, we openly allow exhibits like this into our malls where our children can see it. As long as it isn't happening to us, we're willing to look the other way as long as we make a buck or two out of it.

The bottom line is that these types of companies can't be hosted in appropriate venues such as museums or hospitals because the bodies are undocumented.

Adam Forshaw

UNM student

Editor's note: The Daily Lobo stands by its reporter and the story, "Students to protest human body exhibit." The reporting was accurate and reflected all sides of the story.