Given Jaimee's longstanding interest in human anatomy, it was inevitable that we'd wind up eventually at the Bodies... exhibition at Southpoint Mall in Raleigh. Today was that day. There's a lot to like about the exhibition, and a lot to dislike as well—I'm a firm believer in the educational value of exhibitions like this one, but there should always been mixed feelings about the instrumentalization and commodification of the human body, especially when those bodies are coming to us from post-colonial spaces. This review from the Independent and the ensuing shitstorm in the comments covers both angles nicely. Check out SDR's comment in particular for some good links about the "So where did the bodies come from?" elephant in the room.

When I asked about this at the exhibit, I was told they came from a Chinese hospital and had either been explicitly donated to science or else gone unclaimed. Turns out, maybe not.

All in all, no regrets—though I do wish I'd done a little more reading about this before giving them our money.