The Buzz About Body Worlds

I often wonder what’s going on inside my body and how the systems relate to one another and work in concert to help my daily function. If you’re like me, you’ll find Body Worlds absolutely fascinating!

Body Worlds provides visitors with an unprecedented opportunity for understanding how the body works and how lifestyle choices can have an enormous impact on your body’s health.

I assume that by now most of you have heard of the Body Worlds exhibit that’s currently on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum. Body Worlds is a first-of-its-kind exhibition that showcases real human corpses that were donated to science and injected with a special plastic-like polymer, which preserves all of the tissues of the human body, explains the MPM website. Body Worlds is the only anatomical exhibition that uses donated bodies, willed by donors for the purpose of serving Body Worlds’ mission to educate the public about health and anatomy. According to the website, more than 8,000 people have already agreed to donate their bodies for Plastination – which is shocking to me. I don’t think I’d do it.

I was initially a little nervous about seeing this exhibit. A few weeks ago, I purchased advanced tickets online to check out Body Worlds on Friday – I figured there would be a high demand to see it on the weekend. We got to the museum and exchanged our confirmation number for official tickets and waited to be let into the exhibit at our scheduled time. Even though they only let a select amount of people in every 15 minutes, it was still quite crowded. Upon entry we were told that cell phones and cameras were prohibited and I didn’t argue because the thought of snapping photos of real dead bodies seemed really disrespectful.

I’ve heard the exhibit described as feeling like a funeral and when we walked into the dim room, it felt just like one. Everyone moved through the exhibit cautiously while using hushed voices. There were no shrieks or freak-out’s to break the reverential environment, just an occasional “yuck” whispered.

Because of the Plastination process, exhibitors were able to strip away layers of the bodies so we could see specific parts like the blood vessels or internal organs and systems, which was very cool. The whole bodies were displayed around the outside walls of each room and they were modeled in various striking, even whimsical poses to illustrate the different bone structures, muscle groups and internal organs. Exhibitors placed a Bucks basketball in The Basketball Player’s skinless hand, put a straw hat on The Winged Man’s skull, and gave The Teacher and anatomy book and piece of chalk to hold. If that didn’t provide a little humor, it at least lifted the weighty atmosphere.

Full body displays like The Skateboarder and The Ring Gymnast demonstrated how our muscles and joints work together while in motion. I got to see firsthand how the raw muscles contract and elongate during an athletic performance. Now when I lift weights, I’ll be thinking of how my muscles are moving underneath my skin.

In the middle of each room were glass cases displaying smaller muscle groups and bones amid various diseased and normal internal organs such as lungs, livers and brains. The deformities, tumors and diseases like breast cancer, cirrhosis, obesity, heart disease and stroke illustrated through different body parts were a bit devastating, but I appreciated how these displays preserved insight into common heath issues. Also in the cases were prosthetics such as artificial hips and joints and heart valves. We saw how they fit into a body and what an arthritic knee looks like in comparison to a healthy knee. We also got to compare a healthy slice of breast tissue to one completely consumed by cancerous cells and a tar-blackened smoker’s lung to the pink non-smoker’s lung – I heard on the news that many smokers were leaving their packs of cigarettes at the exit after seeing that.

Once I saw the exhibit I had no reservations about it. To me it was an artistic expression of the human body – a man carrying his own skin (based on 16th century drawing by Gaspar Becerra), a man on horseback holding his brain in one hand and the horse’s brain in the other. It was very strange art, but art nonetheless. With the bodies presented this way, I was able to detach myself from the fact that they were real corpses. The only time I felt overwhelmed was when I’d think about how each individual may have died.

Still, the most remarkable, yet disconcerting part of Body Worlds was the Embryonic & Fetal Development room, which was curtained-off from the rest of the exhibit. This section was very disturbing and depressing because, well, we were walking through a room filled with dead fetuses, embryos and a woman, eight months pregnant.

The fetuses that were located against the walls in glass cases ranged in age from 12 weeks through 34 weeks. It was astounding, especially seeing a fetus so close up that you could see its features – some even had eyelashes, and finger and toe nails. In the middle of the room were eight glass cylinders with embryos inside at different stages of development spanning conception to eight weeks. The last couple of weeks were the most amazing because you could see a surge of development and notice the formation of their tiny fingers and toes.

This room made me feel very uneasy, especially the main feature: The Pregnant Woman. A sign by the case explained that she had an illness and unfortunately died when she was eight months pregnant. The baby didn’t survive either, which is even more tragic. Her whole body was on display and her belly was cut open to expose the baby inside. It was unbelievable… and sad and gross and unsettling, yet wonderful. I really couldn’t wrap my head around it or get a grasp on all of the emotions I was feeling in that one moment. What was really awesome was that this feature was something no one would normally get to see – how the organs are squished and forced to shift to allow room for the developing baby and the contortion and expansion of the uterus. Wow.

Because of this particular room, Body Worlds has not been without controversy in many of the cities it has traveled through. The exhibit has drawn criticism from some religious groups and others who object to the display of human bodies. The Sheppard Express goes into more detail in their article on the outrage surrounding the Body Worlds exhibit. It’s an interesting read.

Like many, I’m both repelled and intrigued by death, which is probably why Body Worlds is so popular. Humans are naturally curious about such things. Why do you think TV shows like CSI and Bones are so popular? It’s no wonder why Body Worlds is guaranteed to attract droves of inquisitive visitors to the Milwaukee Public Museum. So despite the controversy, the MPM has a lot riding on this blockbuster exhibit. A JS Online article written last year states, “Museum officials are counting on the Body World notoriety to boost attendance and revenue for the cash-starved institution.” Read more about the MPM’s attendance and revenue projections here. Hopefully, this will provide the monetary boost that the financially strapped Public Museum desperately needs for its recovery.

Apart from the swarm of people, Eric and I spent over an hour in the exhibit as we read each description and examined every display. We didn’t talk about it once we left. I think we both were still taking in everything we observed and learned. What I saw on Friday still hasn’t left my mind. It’s a rare opportunity to see the complexity of your body and your physiology and what it can do – it’s very surreal! Most of all, seeing the human body bereft of all its mystery, not to mention its skin, is just fascinating and something I urge everyone to uncover.

For more information on the exhibition follow any of the links above. For info on body donation for Plastination, take a look here.

Body Worlds runs at the Milwaukee Public Museum until June 1, 2008. Click here to buy tickets.

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Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
Milwaukee Public Museum
800 W. Wells Street, Milwaukee
Hours: Monday through Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Thursday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: $24 Adults, $15 Children (prices vary, so click here for member or discount info.)

Comments

[Eric]

I really liked the exhibit, although I still have mixed feelings about some of the more "artsy" posings. The basketball player and runner I get. You get to see the muscles and tendons arteries, veins whatever is helping the person to run. But the guy that had all his layers folded out then had a straw hat on. I didn't understand the point of the hat, the description said some garbage about the hat was supposed to help blur the line between life and death...ahh I just thought it was a bit dumb and a little disrespectful to the dead guy who was wearing it (unless it was his hat but I doubt it)
I don't really approve of using body parts for art exhibits, they donated thier bodies for that purpose so I suppose it doesn't matter, and the purpsoe of the exhibit is to educate and the 'art' aspect of it is supposed to get people intested. Lightening the mood was a good point, too I hadn't thought of that. Having some of the more humurous exhibits may help people detach themselves a bit.
all in all though it was good fun...
good post

[ghost_pig]

I would donate my body for plastination, but only under the condition that they configure my corpse like John Travolta's pose on the cover of Saturday Night Fever. Now that's what I call "Stayin' Alive"!

[Karen]

The exhibit's mission is to educate the public about health and anatomy, which it does brilliantly. It also makes difficult subject matter easier to handle.

Eric, I think by making the displays playful and creative, more people will go see Body Worlds. I bet visitors would be more creeped out and less willing to see the exhibit if they were simply looking at dissected corpses laying on tables or something. I certainly appreciated the way the displays blurred the line between life and death and merged those lines between science and art. It was easier to view.

Hilarious, Ghost Pig.
You should come around more often. :)

[Melanie]

I am going there with my class. I am kind of grossed out by the idea. However I think it will be a completely different experience once I am actually there.

[Mary]

I am a fifth grade teacher who teaches a Human Body Unit in science. I went to the Body Worlds exhibit and spent two hours in complete awe. 20/20 had a segment last week on plastination, and delved into whether these exhibits are for educational or entertainment purposes. I certainly did not feel entertained! It was totally an educational experience for me. After seeing the obese body parts, I just wanted to go home and exercise!

[Dayna P.]

When I first saw the exhibit in Chicago I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just happened to be at the making rounds between the sheddaquarium and museum with my boyfriend of the time. We became bored and decided to check it out...having no idea what it was all about.

After walking in the room it literally took at least 15 minutes of us staring at the first exhibit to realize and come to terms with the fact that is was indeed a real human body.

The first body was that of a man who died of lung cancer, his blackened lungs were exposed and sure enough, they had put a cigarette in his hand! Now if this was an attempt at mood lightening I feel that they failed...it was a bit morbid to me. Morbid yet effective in making it's point!

I too was speechless and without an appetite for the remainder of the evening but all in all I feel it was an amazing experience that I'm eager to have again here in Milwaukee.

Donating my body for this purpose is nothing I'd ever consider but I am very grateful to those who did so that I could have this awesome opportunity!

Nice post Karen.