Have you ever wondered what the inside of a human stomach looked like? If so, chances are that you consulted a drab, two-dimensional resource like an encyclopedia or a human anatomy text for a cross-section that is, you were probably unable to find an actual person willing to let you slice into his or her gut and have a peek. Also, the book was a much cleaner, if slightly less exciting, alternative.

But soon, your days of browsing the dusty reference section may come to an end. The University, along with a Bay City business, is putting together an educational exhibit of preserved body parts and cadavers which is to travel across the nation either through science museums or privately beginning next January.

Even though the display has not made its debut, it has already attracted criticism and the University should not be swayed from its educational mission to educate.

Through a revolutionary procedure called "plastination," scientists are able to replace the water in bodily tissues with silicone, thus turning an ordinary cadaver into a rubbery, long-lasting, learning tool.

The cadavers in the proposed tour will be arranged as models of different anatomical systems, including the reproductive, digestive, and nervous systems. The exhibit would also display whole and dissected organs and other body parts. This part of the show would include both healthy and diseased parts, demonstrating exactly how given diseases affect these parts.

Some secular people contend that it is distasteful to display people after they die and some religious people see it as a desecration of the body. They neglect to realize that cadavers and plastinated organs are already widely used by and displayed for medical students around the world allowing the public access to these resources would only be beneficial.

The University should not bow to pressure from the critics our scientists should do whatever they can to bring these specimens to a museum near you.