Body Worlds (off topic)

[drhardee]

I went to see the "Body Worlds" exhibit in Charlotte, NC yesterday. If you have even the slightest interest in anatomy or medicine, go and see this traveling exhibit!

For those who don't know, "Body Worlds" is a traveling exhibit of preserved and dissected human bodies,donated for this purpose. The bodies are preserved with a process known as "plastination", where the bodies are immersed in a liquid plastic polymer solution which preserves them in exquisite detail, and the bodies are then dissected many different ways, allowing you (and medical students) a fantastic look inside of the human body. Some of them are behind glass cases, but most of them you could reach out and touch..but this is highly discouraged. One of the bodies is cut in half laterally, which allows you a look at what a body cut in perfect half would look like. The body is standing upright, which is really freaky. Another is standing there, stripped of his skin, which he is holding in his hand in a perfect "suit". It sounds morbid, but it's actually quite educational. It tours the world in several different exhibits.

BODY WORLDS - Take an eye-opening journey under the skin!

The exhibitions inspire visitors all over the world. Learn about the inner workings of the human body and the effects of healthy lifestyles.

www.bodyworlds.com

 

[drhardee]

Here's the "skin suit" pic..it really is a fascinating way to look at your body..it's what we ALL look like under the pretty skin suit.

 

[neptunebob]

Pittsburgh has the other Body Show, BODIES - The Exhibition , that has caused some controversy in our area. Even though I type medical records I am not sure if I want to see it - It's expensive and what if I find it too icky? It's supposed to be very informative and educational. We already see enough of Bodies, though on billboards all around Pittsburgh. The concern is that China wants to start a "Plastinatization Industry" where they have a factory to make bodies plastic. Also some of the poses of the bodies are odd - one is playing soccer, another dancing and snapping fingers, a skeleton dancing with its muscles - as if the "bodies" are happy that this happened to them (oh, I probably said something bad here).

http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/default.aspx?pageId=307#

 

[rp2813]

This exhibit was (maybe still is) in town but it's nothing I was remotely interested in seeing. I've never been much interested in biology or physiology, I most definitely did NOT pursue the vocation of county coroner for a reason, and IMHO this exhibit is more about science than art. I guess it may be interesting for some, but I can't get past the real "live" dead body part.

 

[gansky1]

When I went to pick up my GE Liberator range in Denver, CO two years ago, this exhibit was there. When planning the trip, my sister neglected to tell me it was going on because she knew I would be in line for tickets the day we arrived. My other sister there had seen it and had the official "book" from the exhibit which I found fascinating. We did go to a park next to the museum and the people were lined up around the building to get in. I still would like to see it someday. There was some controversy about where the bodies had come from, etc.

 

[rocketwarrior]

California Science Center

The exhibit was first brought to this hemisphere by the California Science Center where my daughter is the Director of Development for the Foundation. They needed to deal with a lot of questions for which answers were uncertain. How will this exhibit be received? How should it be advertised? Americans, of course, are much more squeamish than Europeans about such stuff. However, the exhibit was a huge success, of course, and a lot of fun. We saw that first exhibit on Christmas Day with my daughter. Awesome, awesome,awesome. Everyone must see it.

P.S. I am general counsel to the Center for Human Nutrition and its division, the International Center for Sports Nutrition. Our Executive Director just saw the exhibit in St. Louis. She commented that not all of the bodies in athletic poses are athletes. That is, a hurtler might actually have more meat in certain places than was apparent. Any way, it is a wonderful experience.

 

[48bencix]

Bodies Revealed in Sacramento

A similar exhibit is here, for $22.00. Although I am interested, there is some controversey. Mainly regarding the source of the bodies.

The controversial circumstances of how the bodies came to be donated – together with the fact that almost all the cadavers are male and originated from a single region of China – tempers some of the great visual and educational appeal of "Bodies Revealed."

It is said that the bodies were all donated, however given that all of the work is done in China, I wonder if they were alive when they were donated.

 

[rocketwarrior]

You have the wrong display, Martin

Martin, thank you for providing an opportunity to clarify. You must be speaking about the Chinese knock off. I think the work might be bojack (smile). Any way, The Body Worlds series of exhibits to which Dave and I are referring are the result of developer and promoter, a German anatomist named Gunther von Hagens, who invented the plastination technique in the late 1970s. Gunther's wife is also a physician and is quite engaging. I don't believe there is 'source of the bodies' controversy involving this exhibition. It is true, however, that the von Hagens exhibition has certainly "stimulated" the Chinese to get into this program.

 

[rocketwarrior]

Confusion

For example, Bodies, the Exhibition and Bodies Revealed are not von Hagen exhibits. BodyWorlds is the Gunther von Hagen exhibit.

 

[48bencix]

Knock-Off

Thanks for the explanation. Yes, the one here is one of the many Knock-Off exhibitions, with all Chinese bodies.

I looked at the Body Worlds website, which explains the difference. I am not going to the one here.

 

[perc-o-prince]

I got tix for Body Worlds for Rich and I last year for Christmas, and it was an AMAZING display! I can only say that if you have ANY interest in the human body, GO!!! It was at the Boston Museum of Science, and was something like $25 per ticket. You could doddle as much as you wanted, or speed through it (not advised). A lot of it was as much art as it was science, especially the exploded body at the end, where a body was completely dissected and strung up in a "blown apart" display!!!

Chuck

 

[whirlcool]

We had the Bodyworld exhibit here in Houston several years ago. Did you know that you can leave your body to Professor Gunther von Hagen for future use in this exhibit?

It was quite interesting once you get over the fact that you are surrounded by dead people. But one look at the "smoker" body and the damage smoking does to a person will really make one stop and think!