"Bodies ...The Exhibition" has been pulling in large crowds wherever it appears, but the show is not for everyone. That is conceded by the promoter, Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, and by officials at the Carnegie Science Center, where it opens tomorrow for a seven-month run.

"We recognize and respect that some people will have objections to the exhibit for religious or other reasons," said science center director Joanna Haas. "We would never try to change anyone's mind on that."

This exhibit is one of 11 that Premier is touring around the world. Some previous locations have seen sporadic leafleting or picketing, but many were mounted on private property such as casinos or malls, so security guards intervened. Dr. Haas said the center will not try to stop any actions here as long as they are lawful, on public property and not blocking access.

Advocates say the exhibit of human corpses from China offers everyday folks an entree into the mysterious anatomical domain once reserved for the study and practice of medicine; that seeing the human body's inner workings will help viewers understand the importance of healthy living, and that young people who come may be inspired to study the sciences.

The show has racked up kudos from an advisory committee assembled by the Carnegie, along with testimonials from teachers, clergy and medical specialists. These include Bruce Dixon, director of the Allegheny County Health Department, who, in a press kit, called it "a learning laboratory on healthy living."

Critics say nothing can justify their central objection: "Bodies" uses unclaimed cadavers whose owners or relatives could not give consent, so nobody knows who these people are or how they died.

Premier insists that the company has been scrupulous in assuring that the corpses died of natural causes and were obtained legally by their Chinese partner, Dalian Medical University, where the "plastination" plant is located, and says it has sworn affidavits to that effect. Mr. Geller notes that medical schools in the United States obtain unclaimed cadavers in the same way.

But opponents note the lack of official death certificates (Premier says they're in China) and counter that China's record of human rights violations clouds any assurances from Premier or the medical school that these corpses did not come from executed prisoners. They also fear that these exhibits provide a profitable market for body trafficking.

Among the objectors are Harry Wu, the expatriate Chinese human rights activist, and Elaine Catz, the former part-time education director at the science center who resigned in protest in July.

One thing beyond dispute is that controversy sells.

The show is making millions for Premier, which nearly doubled its revenue to $11.4 million in the quarter ending May 31, according to Smart Money magazine. Mr. Geller told the magazine he expects to keep accumulating cash and is looking forward to "having the problem of figuring out what to do with it."

The Carnegie brought the show to Pittsburgh at "a significant cost," according to Ann Metzger, the science center's marketing director, and is hoping to sell at least 300,000 tickets.