BODY WORLDS

so monica and i went downtown today to see the body worlds exhibit at the museum of science and industry (the COOLEST museum in chicago..if you ever come here, you have to go to this museum).

anyway, the exhibit was amazing.
i wasn't sure what to expect when i found out the pieces on display were real people's bodies, but it was much less gross and much more interesting than i had imagined.

they had full body displays, with all the skeleton and the muscles. they also had skeletons with just the nervous system. and then there was the body shape that was composed of just the blood vessels in the human body...so cool...you would be amazed how many capilaries are in your fingertips and toe tips. there was also the fetal section, where an 8-month pregnant lady was on display, as well as little embroyos. its crazy that life comes from that tiny beginning.

the anonymous donors who gave their cadavers to this body worlds display were thanked profusely throughout the exhibit. their bodies were then taken and "plastinated". sounds like a made up term to me, but it really means that the bodies were dunked into some plastic polymer substance, which dissovles away the fat and water surrounding the body, leaving the muscle, bones, and organs preserved in perfect condition. see here .

i'm so intruiged by the people who donated their bodies to this exhibit, knowing full well their body systems would be on display for the world to see. i wonder what kind of deaths they had...diseases, old age, murder? eh, probably not, but who knows...the exhibit revealed none of that. i still don't think i could donate my body this kind of science...now i don't have much respect for my body after it's not of use anymore, as in dead, but imagining my skeletal system on display is rather offputting. i think i'll stick to being an organ donor.