Body Worlds... Amazing

Have you heard of Body Worlds? It is a traveling exhibit of "plastinated" human beings. There are three exhibits that travel around; the original one is here in my hometown at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Champs and I went last Saturday night and I must say that, while it was an expensive date; OK, a REALLY EXPENSIVE date, it was also really worth it.

First we attended the Omni Theatre for a movie called "The Human Body", which showed many functions of the body from the inside on a 6 story screen. Pretty cool! The sections on reproduction and the blood were fascinating. It's amazing to see a million tiny red blood cells from wall to wall above you!

After that, we went into the Body Worlds exhibit, where there were portions and entire bodies of more than 200 people. The plastinates, as they are called, are people who donated their bodies to be plastinated after death (you can read how the process is done here) . The tour starts small with individual bones and body parts, then moves to a full body. The muscles are so red and the inner organs are the greys and reds you would expect. Apparently the plastination process does a good job of retaining the colors as it stops decomposition.

The first full body was of a man who had been a smoker. His muscles and portions of his ribs were removed so the lungs would show through. They were amazing - black and putrid. Nearby, you could see the lung of a non-smoker and the difference was profound. It reminded me of when I was a child and saw "Casey Jones" (a Minneapolis children's show) feature two lungs like that. I was five at the time and despite the fact that both of my parents and later two of my siblings smoked, I never once lit up; and I never will, due to that sight.

Anyway... The exhibit continued on with bodies in various poses designed to highlight certain body systems. A man playing chess to show the brain and nervous system. A man's skeleton separated from his muscles to show both systems in their entirety. Perhaps the most profound body was one of a woman who died of a fatal disease in her 8th month of pregnancy. Her baby could not be saved, either. She arranged before her death to be plastinated with her baby. The exhibit of her leaning back on her elbow with her uterus exposed and the babe curled within is so breathtaking... And so sad.

One of the things that I found interesting was the fact that there must have been at least 200-300 people milling through the exhibit and yet, it was so quiet in the room. There was a hush that acknowledged some unspoken rule that the plastinate's humanity and final gift must be treated with reverence.

Near the end, I started to be a bit done with the exhibit. Although it was really interesting, I began to get to the point where I could no longer see them as impersonal. There was one body that had been cut from top to bottom in about 5-6 sections and posed one in front of the other. However, the cuts were not always straight through. The heart, for example, was left whole and mounted in one section, with a corresponding space where it would fit into the slice in front of it. I'm not sure if that makes sense, but he was like a standing human puzzle. The problem is that, unlike almost all of the other subjects, they left his skin on. And he had tattoos. And pubic hair. And a balding head. Seeing the tattoos and hair really kind of did me in. After that, I was ready for it to be done.

I am really glad we went, though. The secrets of the human body are fascinating, mysterious and beautiful. If you have a chance to see this exhibit (and you won't have squeamish nightmares, as some of my friends would), then I recommend you go see it. It truly is amazing.


This post created a LOT of comments:
Heather said...
Okay. I am a nurse and there is NO WAY I would go to that exhibit.

Geekwif said...
I'm glad you were able to see it and that it was so fascinating to you. I am just as glad that I didn't see it as I would have been completely overwhelmed by it.

Ravvy said...
it was here in Adelaide, AUSTRALIA for like one day *or one day that i knew of anyway* and i heard that it was even on on the day that it was happeneing and it was so popular, i would've just loved it completely as im a bit of a freaky geek when it comes to the human body and blood and arty stuff like that... so i woulda loved it and been totally facinated! Unfortunately at the time i had no moolah and was unable to go at all.. i really hope it returns...
Great Blog!!!
Here via Micheles Via AUSTRALIA!! :)

utenzi said...
I've read about this in several of the magazines I get. As much as I like science, even forensics, I don't think I want to see this exhibit. It's just a little too visceral to me. It does sound incredible, and I'd have loved to see it when I was in my teens or 20s but I've gotten more sensitive to "death" in my advancing years. Now I think it'd bother me to see such "real seeming" dead people.

Jean-Luc Picard said...
That sounds really creepy. I don't think I'd be keen on going there.

bobealia said...
Wow! My husband is a Med student, and I think he would love that.
I am guessing you didn't mean to say Palistinians... (when you were talking about the pregnant lady) it confused me for a few good seconds. LOL!!!
How expensive was it?

bobealia said...
That is an expensive date!! It was a super cool one though, sounds like...

kenju said...
That's a great idea, and I would definitely go.


panthergirl said...
It really does sound fascinating. I'm sorry I missed it when it was here...although I'm sure I would not have taken my son to see it. Were there kids there?

Sparkling Diamond said...
Wow, how fascinating! I would love to see something. I have always been so intrigued by the human body and I think it is so amazing that we can do something like this. If donating my body could help science learn something new or save someone's life, I'm all for it!


Shane said...
i always thought this process was quite amazing. i know it's controversial among some sects. People need to learn how to lighten up. I just read a post about someone who was outraged over the Geiko caveman commercials -- get a life (rolling eyes)

David said...
uggh real corpses,, dont think I would pay for that - I also dont watch tv, day or nighttime

Tracie said...
I have heard of this exhibit and read about it in several different places, but I am not sure that I want to go see it for myself.

Dara said...
I don't know how I would have felt about that exhibit. I think it's fascinating that we have the technology to do that and use it as a learning tool. Thanks for stopping by.

The Flamingess said...
I've heard about the plasticised bodies, but your description was very enlightening. I'd definitely go. No idea what the highlight woul d be, but I know I'd be faciniated by the technology. I feel donating ones body to science is is an excellent use for the vessel when we are done with it.