http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html
In the past their was some controversy over the origin of the bodies for this type of exhibit, however this one had a very clear disclaimer that all of the bodies were donated with full consent and awareness of what they would be used for. In fact they had information on how you could sign up to donate if you were interested! The other main point of controversy is the basic respect for the human body and human life. I personally felt it was handled very respectfully with an attitude of medical research, exploration and education. I enjoyed the written displays almost as much as the bodies themselves. My Dad's favorite narration said....the human heart is the first organ to begin working and the last one to stop functioning.
Only once did the reality of the actual human bodies revolt me. They displayed the growth of a child in the womb, from 5 weeks after conception up until birth. The little bodies were beautiful but never made it into the world, as a mother it was upsetting and hard to see. After all I spend many months of my life obsessing over a small human life inside of me and making sure it arrived healthy.
The adult bodies were posed in these amazing athletic, graceful poses to show off every muscle, artery, tendon and bone. They were beautiful, artistic and absolutely fascinating! Parental discretion advised, nothing was hidden including sexual organs. My twelve year old went with us and she was ok with everything, of course she is very intelligent and mature, not sure I would have taken a child younger than that. It was a great learning experience for her and we talked about it the whole way home.
Of course needless to say, none of us could order ribs or steak at dinner afterwards! LOL
1 comment:
A friend of mine saw that display in a different city and showed me the brochure-absolutely amazing. I hope I get a chance to see it. One of the most fascinating things I did in school was study cadavers in anatomy class (and the frat house basements).
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