'Body Worlds' exhibit offers unique glance inside human body

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Naked human bodies are going on display in Providence in the name of science.

The "Body Worlds" exhibit will literally show visitors what the body looks like.

"This isn't a Halloween exhibit. It's science," said Larry Lepore, general manager of the Rhode Island Convention Center and Dunkin' Donuts Center.

Lepore told NBC 10 News visitors will learn what the inside of the body looks like during all sorts of activities. The corpses are staged in various poses -- from singing to dancing. They'll also see how diseases affect organs.

"You'll see livers -- cirrhosis of the liver and healthy livers, and you'll be able to see what they look like next to each other," Lepore said.

The bodies are preserved through a process called plastination -- all bodily fluids and fats are removed and replaced with plastics to preserve them. Gunther von Hagens, who is the German anatomist behind the human body show invented the process.

Lepore said 150,000 people are expected to visit the exhibit when it comes to Providence.

"We expect that this event could make hundreds of thousands of dollars for us," he said.

The exhibit will be on display on the ground level of the convention center. Lepore said it's an area that doesn't often get used but he believes show-casing the "Body Worlds" exhibit there is a good move.

"We have a pretty well-educated public, so I think there's an opportunity for them to come in and learn even more than they already know," Lepore said.

He went on to say that having the display right off the street level will also help neighboring downtown businesses.

"We also expect that these people will come down and then dine in our restaurants and walk to our mall," Lepore said.

The show opens in Providence on June 30. Dr. von Hagens' wife will be there on opening night to answer questions about preserving the body.