Body Worlds: An Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies. Yes, that’s actually what it’s called and actually what it is: people who donated their bodies to science, on display to teach others about anatomy and physiology. The bodies have been plastinated, a process where the water in the body is replaced with a hardening substance which enables the body and its parts to be posed.
I’m waffling between fascinated and a little creeped out on this one, to be perfectly honest. On the one hand, I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to see exactly what the body looks like up close – not just plastic models or blurry x-rays. And these people were volunteers, after all. On the other hand, wouldn’t it be a little unnerving to look at real corpses on display? Well, no more so than the body slices at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, I suppose. I admit I’m a little embarrassed of my squeamishness. Too bad this exhibit won’t be nearby anytime soon. I’m curious.
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