Warning: Tortured Bodies May Lie Ahead

As part of a settlement between the NY Attorney General's Office and the promoters of “Bodies: The Exhibition,” the following warning must now be presented at the exhibitions:

Warning: The body parts you are about to see may have come from Chinese prisoners who were tortured and executed.




The NY Times Cityroom blog writes that the exhibition has been the object of persistent criticism from medical ethicists and human rights advocates, who have questioned whether the remains were legally obtained.

You can access the full story here.

Here's a scary Headline: Teenagers, Scalpels, and Cadavers

From the NY Times: Better than Bodyworlds, and a great way to introduce high school students to the basics of anatomy.

Top Ten Holiday Gifts for Bioethicists

In the spirit of the season, the Women's Bioethics Blog team has some recommendations to bring some bioethics cheer to your Holiday Gift-Giving:

1.) A Copy of The Omnivore's Dilemma, for anyone who has given any thought to the phrase 'you are what you eat'.

2.) A DVD of Michael Moore's Sicko, for whatever ails you.

3.) Energy-saving light bulbs (How many bioethicists does it take to screw in light bulb?)

4.) Donate to Heifer International (seriously)

5.) Spray-on condoms (not-so-seriously-gag gift)

6.) Biotech blooms - in vitro orchids -a sort of whimsically sweet gift for anyone interested in gardening/plants, or just novel things.

7.) A Grow-Your-Own-Skin Kit (just what I always wanted!)

8.) Med school in a box [game]

9.) Your very own pocket-sized version of the AMA Principles of Medical Ethics.

10.) anything from the Bodyworlds store! The book, however, is always a hit, and you couldn't pry mine out of my cold, dead hands. ;-)


Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all of our readers!

[Editor's note, added Dec 19 2007 at 7:40pm -- I had to add a personal favorite to my wishlist --for sci-fi lovers, the darkly fascinating Blade Runner, The Final Cut.]