Many of you may have already seen the Body Worlds exhibition in the latest James Bond movie, Casino Royale. (Quite possibly the best film ever made, and I didn't want to like it)
You probably remember the scene if you've seen the movie. James trails the money guy to where he's making the payoff to the new bomber, which just happens to be at a Body Works exhibition. The exhibit itself almost overpowers the incident of the scene, and certainly make it one of the most memorable.
The musculature bodies are kind of hard to see in these small images, which I snagged from the Body Worlds website. But, for those who've not seen the movie, their dioramas of everyday, and not so everyday occurances, (people playing poker, riding horses, skateboarding, etc). Some are skeletons, some have muscle tissue. A few are fully formed and dressed, while other are any combination of those. The exhibit was set up to make people aware of the human body and it's inner workings and structure. A celebration of the human form.
Okay, now here's the reason I bring it up. I'm sure everyone of you has your own version of a Science Center in your area. For people in my area that would be Discovery Place in Uptown (or is that Downtown?) Charlotte, NC. Well, I've been seeing commercials for it lately, as it's coming to Discovery Place real soon, and something the commercial said just shook me. I was pretty sure I didn't hear that right, so I opened a new tab and Googled its website.
Well, I didn't hear incorrectly. It's on their main page:
"The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies"
I have to say, I'm not usually shaken by much. Not these days anyways. But this shook me for a sec. For a long sec. Here's what the website says: http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/bodydonation/body_donation_program.html
I don't know what to say about that. Part of me is deeply disturbed, and another part of me is deeply curious. I just can't help but wonder what this would do to me if I actually saw it. I know that the intent of the exhibit is to educate and inform everyday folk, and I fully realize that many a med student is going to have to get far more up-close-and-personal with a cadaver then this if they ever plan on graduating med school, much less becoming a doctor. I even realize that this might be a catalyst for some young people to get into studying medicine. There's certainly a community of artists that study anatomical drawings and the human form in this manner.
But I don't know, I guess I'm not as hardened as I thought I was in my old age. Maybe less so, as I think I would have been overly curious when I was younger. Movie gore is one thing. This is something very different.
You probably remember the scene if you've seen the movie. James trails the money guy to where he's making the payoff to the new bomber, which just happens to be at a Body Works exhibition. The exhibit itself almost overpowers the incident of the scene, and certainly make it one of the most memorable.
The musculature bodies are kind of hard to see in these small images, which I snagged from the Body Worlds website. But, for those who've not seen the movie, their dioramas of everyday, and not so everyday occurances, (people playing poker, riding horses, skateboarding, etc). Some are skeletons, some have muscle tissue. A few are fully formed and dressed, while other are any combination of those. The exhibit was set up to make people aware of the human body and it's inner workings and structure. A celebration of the human form.
Okay, now here's the reason I bring it up. I'm sure everyone of you has your own version of a Science Center in your area. For people in my area that would be Discovery Place in Uptown (or is that Downtown?) Charlotte, NC. Well, I've been seeing commercials for it lately, as it's coming to Discovery Place real soon, and something the commercial said just shook me. I was pretty sure I didn't hear that right, so I opened a new tab and Googled its website.
Well, I didn't hear incorrectly. It's on their main page:
"The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies"
I have to say, I'm not usually shaken by much. Not these days anyways. But this shook me for a sec. For a long sec. Here's what the website says: http://www.bodyworlds.com/en/bodydonation/body_donation_program.html
Body Donation
All anatomical specimens on display in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions are authentic. They belonged to people who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons. Many donors underscore that by donating their body, they want to be useful to others even after their death. Their selfless donations allow us to gain unique insights into human bodies, which have thus far been reserved for physicians at best. Therefore, we wish to thank the 7.100 living and 450 deceased body donors.
So, basically, and I don't want to diminish the intent of the exhibition by saying this, but to be totally blunt, this is basically an exhibition of human corpses. (And some living people, as I understand it)All anatomical specimens on display in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions are authentic. They belonged to people who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons. Many donors underscore that by donating their body, they want to be useful to others even after their death. Their selfless donations allow us to gain unique insights into human bodies, which have thus far been reserved for physicians at best. Therefore, we wish to thank the 7.100 living and 450 deceased body donors.
I don't know what to say about that. Part of me is deeply disturbed, and another part of me is deeply curious. I just can't help but wonder what this would do to me if I actually saw it. I know that the intent of the exhibit is to educate and inform everyday folk, and I fully realize that many a med student is going to have to get far more up-close-and-personal with a cadaver then this if they ever plan on graduating med school, much less becoming a doctor. I even realize that this might be a catalyst for some young people to get into studying medicine. There's certainly a community of artists that study anatomical drawings and the human form in this manner.
But I don't know, I guess I'm not as hardened as I thought I was in my old age. Maybe less so, as I think I would have been overly curious when I was younger. Movie gore is one thing. This is something very different.