Ok, so Deena and I went to the Body Worlds exhibit in Salt Lake a couple of days ago. Here are a couple of thoughts:
1. People are lined up by the thousands to donate their bodies to Gunther Von Hagen for display. i am not quite sure what i think if this, after seeing the bodies (and yes it was awesome) i am not sure i would want my body splayed out in an unflattering position, holding my entrails up in my hand, or (as one display was setup) being in the arms of some female body in an acrobatic pose for the rest of eternity. That said i was very impressed with how these bodies were setup to display certain characteristics of muscle movement or body structure.
2. I don't know what the heck Plastanation is but all the bodies and organs where well preserved and there was no stinky fermaldahide-ish smell anywhere?!
3. Does anyone else think it is at least evil-doctorish, mad scientist, to take chainsaws to human cadavers to produce full body slides (for lack of a better word), or flair out muscles and rip open thoracic cavities to show every possible angle of the human body possible? it was awesome, but makes one think what they must be thinking as they actually cut into these people
4. the most amazing thing to me was the displays of arterial systems of the human head and various animals. i still cannot understand how they produce this. there is no bones skin or any structure other than the actual arteries and they have perfect shape of the body ....do they just dissolve the skin and bones out some how...i don't even want to think about it anymore
go see it!!
4 comments:
I saw some of the images on line a awhile ago and wanted to see it so bad, in person. It would have to be surreal, but so interesting.
Yah, mad-scientist does sort of come to mind...but cool!
Josh,
that exhibit was here(Portland) not long ago. We heard alot about it, but didn't go. It does sound creepy, but the kind that I wouldn't want to miss out on...like the medeival torture museum Annie and I visited in Salzburg... I had the heebiejeebies for weeks afterward, and I have flashbacks to that museum still...but it sure was interesting. The more you learn about the body the more amazing it seems that any of us function properly....I think you'd actually make a good mad scientist Josh....
Jake
I went here in st. louis. I guess i was expecting to be a little more shocked or grossed out (kinda like i was at derids cadaver lab- no derid doesn't have his own lab- but the one at his school). I have comments for each of your thoughts
1. I thought nearly every position i saw was very flattering- even beautiful! I personally think it would be fabulous to wake up at the resurrection suspended in the air in a spread eagle pose.
2.I found that because there was no smell and no fluids and little skin- i had a hard time remembering that these were real bodies.
3.Surgeons have to do so many crazy things to live breathing people. Every doctor has to be a little crazy or at least desensitized to be able to cut any body- dead or alive. i personally couldn't do it- but i am not bothered by the idea of someone else doing it
4they do dissolve the matter!
I go back and forth whether I want to see it. I could see myself not being phased by it at all and loving it OR not being able to appreciate it b/c I would be so disturbed. Either way it sounds fascinating!
Annie
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