Bodies - The Exhibition

Went to this in the UK.

Pretty grim really. It's interesting to see the body in that fashion but some of it seemed gratuitous and some of it was horrible. I particularly didn't like the series of pregnant women with a wedge cut from the bellies showing a foetus developing. Or the toddler who'd been dissolved away only leaving a cloud of blood vessels. If you have kids you'll probably know the feelings these things trigger.
 
I haven't seen that one, but I have seen Bodyworlds II, which is the original series. I really enjoyed it, though like Splossy posted it may not be for those who are easily disturbed by human physiology. On the other hand, I do know of one real pansy who went through and loved every second of it, so results may vary. Maybe the batch of imitators is less educational and more gratuitous, but it doesn't seem that way from the link you posted.
 
I loved it. Yes, parts of it were slightly disturbing, but I didn't find it offensive. Unless you work in a medical or funeral profession, you are likely far removed from both death and anatomy in general. You get to hold real organs in your hands if you are so inclined.

The entire exhibit lets you marvel at how tough yet flexible and still fragile the body is. The poses are real.

If ever there was a reason to manage your weight, the vertical slices of the very obese person show it graphically.

CT

ETA - oops - I see from Rebecca's post that I didn't realize these were different. I saw the BodyWorlds exhibit.
 
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There were segments on this and similar exhibits on a couple of different NPR shows, including Science Friday.

Seems there is a bit of a controversy about the "provenance" of some of the bodies. At least one group is making claims that some of the bodies were obtained without the proper consent forms, or that the consent agreement is not particularly clear as to what will be done to the body.

The representative from the exhibit (I forget which one) claims that all documentation is proper and on file, but necessarily confidential due to privacy concerns.
I would certainly be interested in seeing one of these if they come through St. Louis.
 
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