“Our Body: The Universe Within,” has been a blockbuster at other venues before it opened in San Antonio’s Witte

“It’s an amazing way to appreciate the human body,” said Dr Irene Chapa, director of the office of recruitment and science outreach at the University of Texas Health Science Centre. “But it’s not like going to see a painting. These were people that were really living and breathing just like you and I.”

Typically limited to inspection by anatomists, physicians and medical school students, the universe that lies under the skin should come as a thrill and a shock in “Our Body.”

Jeff Stanford, public relations director at Orlando Science Centre, which presented “Our Body” to record crowds last year, said the exhibit is “not built for shock. It’s more respectful. Initially, I was a little squeamish because I’m not a fan of the autopsy shows. You’re just struck by the reality of it. This is the human body. This is what I look like without my skin.”

“Our Body” features preserved human bodies displayed in various stages of dissection, some posed to simulate movement—for example, on a bicycle.

The donated specimens originated in China. Polymer impregnation, sometimes called plastination, makes it possible. Because of the process of replacing fluids with a liquid plastic, the bodies and specimens on view do not decompose, and there is no odour. The exhibit features 12 bodies and 75 anatomical specimens. Visitors will learn about different anatomical systems: muscular, skeletal, circulatory, nervous, digestive, respiratory, reproductive and excretory.

“Our Body” is a galaxy where the colourfully preserved vessels of the kidneys, liver and lungs look like something that could grow under the ocean on a coral reef. The circulatory system resembles red seaweed hanging like tinsel on a skeleton.

Not everything is so pretty. A smoker’s lungs tell a deathly grey story. A brain damaged by a stroke is scarred, misshaped and asymmetrical.

Critics say some of the bodies are of mental patients and executed prisoners and are being displayed without consent. Some cite China’s human rights record. But the Witte’s CEO and President, Marise McDermott said that “Our Body” specimens—which belong to Life Sciences Institute in Beijing—were donated for scientific research and procured legally and ethically.

There’s no denying that people want to see such cadaver shows. “It’s definitely a major blockbuster exhibit,” said Todd Slisher, vice-president of science programmes at the Detroit Science Centre. “You just can’t see this anywhere. A textbook doesn’t compare.”
-HECTOR SALDANA (NYT)