Body Worlds – a Real Eye Opener!

I recently took my children to visit the Body Worlds exhibit in Calgary, Alberta. I must admit I was a bit wary going in but by the end I was as awe struck as my children.

For those of you not familiar with Body Worlds I will try to give a brief explanation here.

Body Worlds is  the brain child of anatomist and scientist Gunther von Hagens. In 1975 he developed a technique that is even today considered ground breaking. The technique is called Plastination. Simply defined, it is a way of preserving anatomical specimens with the use of reactive polymers.

Image via Wikipedia

The process is more complicated than I can understand and therefore I will not even try to explain the process here. The end result however, is a a specimen or ‘plastinate’ that assumes a rigidity and permanence that makes them ideal for educational (medical studies) and public awareness exhibits (the Body World exhibits).

The exhibit we visited was called, Body Worlds the Original Exhibition & The Brain. I had heard about the exhibit from other parents that had taken their children and were very impressed. I knew the exhibit featured real people that had been Plastinated and posed, with varying degrees of dissection of their anatomy so as to be most educational however, I was truly amazed by the exhibit.

Image via Wikipedia

Each exhibit has a different theme, ours was the brain. There were several brains an display (as were many other organs) with the functions and abnormalities of each organ prominently featured for the general public in a way that even the children were able to understand. The full body specimens, for the most part, were skinless. Muscles, organs and bones were displayed in their natural setting (on an intact body!) in a tasteful, educational and respectful manner.

Interpreters floated throughout the exhibit and were close by to answer questions and point out interesting facts and/or details that we would have otherwise missed.

For myself I was definitely out of my comfort zone while viewing the exhibit. Personally, I had trouble distancing myself from the fact that everything I was seeing used to belong to a living human being. Even the fact that everything in the exhibit had been acquired through donations by the specimens themselves, helped only a little.

My children thankfully, never experienced this hang-up. They approached the displays with the curiosity of children and the understanding of teenagers. They asked intelligent questions and actually seeing the effects of smoking on lungs, a stroke on the brain or a heart-attack on the heart, actually made a bigger, longer lasting impression than any photo in a book or lecture by a parent could ever make.

Despite my personal discomfort I appreciated the educational value of such an exhibit. I am absolutely amazed at the generosity of the donors. Their names have been lost and their reasons forgotten but their selflessness is there for all of us to see. Personally, I don’t think I would have the courage to put my body on display either in part or in whole.

There are several different Body Worlds exhibits featured in different countries around the world. Currently Body Worlds the Original Exhibition & The Brain is touring North America. If you get the chance to attend I would recommend you do. In the end I am happy I went look forward to attending another exhibition in the future.