Between Death and Decay

Went to see Body Worlds exhibit Saturday. It's quite a show. An anatomist by the name of Gunther von Hagens has created a show whereby he's taken real human bodies, plasticized them and then put them on display for all the world to see. Each body showcases the human form from the inside, which is to say, you see what lies beneath the skin.

It's created quite a stir, using real bodies in a live (pardon the pun) exhibition. Many of the "people" on display aren't in glass cases, so viewers are free to lean in and see every fiber in detail. You can see the tendons, the cartilage, the muscles, even the nerves. Some have hair in key places, like eyebrows and pubic hair. All have the genitals intact. Clearly this isn't a show for the immature....

The process for creating the figures is really something. Gunther von Hagens has perfected a technique that incorporates embalming techniques, fluid and fat removal, gas curing and plastics. He has even found a way to section a body such that the fat deposits can be solidified and put on display. To this end, the effects of obesity are made even more poignant.

With the advent of "plastination", von Hagens' process for creating these works of art, he has given people a new perspective on the human form. We are currently dependent on MRIs for clear cross-sectional images of human bodies. Plastination enables us to take any cross-section we want and make it available for observation. Each slice can be examined by eye, meaning students are no longer required to see the images on a screen. The level of detail that can be gleaned from this process is amazing. When shown a transverse cross-section of a chest cavity from a healthy individual next to the same cross-section of a smoker, the deterioration of the lungs is extremely visible. The applications to medicine from a living point of view are limited, as the subjects must be dead before any part of them can be plasticized. However, as a teaching tool, they are highly effective. I only wish I were a teacher now so that I could take a class through the exhibit to show them these things.

The whole-body plasticates (ie: whole people) are modeled after artistic influences and are showcased to specifically emphasize regions of the body. A skateboarder doing a one-handed stunt upside-down is used to emphasize the muscles of the buttocks. The "torch-bearer" displays the muscles in the armpits and upper body. A cyclist displays the muscles in the legs. And the "orthopedic man" shows us the various prosthetics used in bone & joint replacements. In addition to these, several "pieces" were shown where only the blood vessels have been plasticized, leaving only the outline of the form. Organs such as the liver and kidneys were clearly identifiable due to the large concentration of blood vessels in each.

Body Worlds is truly a unique exhibition of science and art, melded together to give viewers a different perspective on how their bodies work. The sheer directness of the exhibit forces the spectators to reexamine the ways in which they live, as they are exposed to new and sometimes frightening realities of medicine. A final example to illustrate this point is the smoker's lungs. We've all seen the photos of lungs tainted by tar and the various pollutants found in cigarettes. But to actually be inches away from a real set of smoker's lungs, displaying the total blackness of the epithelial layers and alveoli is truly something to behold. Toss in a clean and healthy set of lungs as a comparison, and the destruction becomes all too obvious. So if this show ever comes to your city, or you get a chance to go see it, go! It's worth it.