Exhibit offers a look inside the human body

April 7, 2005
By Keith Claussen
Online Editor

For the most part, road trips to Chicago are usually for a day, to get out of the area and have some fun. To catch a professional sporting event, shop on Michigan Avenue, or to see the ‘Body Worlds’ exhibit at the Science and Industry Museum.

That’s right, one of the most controversial, cutting edge exhibits in recent times, was seen by 24 Ambrosians on Saturday, April 2.

The exhibit features the use of real human beings whom have donated their bodies to science after they have deceased. The cadavers were preserved in a process called “plastination,” invented by anatomist Dr. Gunther von Hagens.

There were different ways in which each individual cadaver, or ‘plastinate” was displayed. Most of them had names, like “The Runner,” “Teacher,” and “The Chess Player.” Each name represented the pose or activity depicted in the display.

“The Runner” was one of the more intriguing displays because the subject was in a running pose, with the muscles in use being partially separated to see how they work. The skeleton appeared to be running right out of its whole muscular system.

Healthy subjects were not the only ones used. Another subject was posed holding a cigarette and the discolored lungs, still in the chest cavity, were exposed through the ribcage.

In addition to whole specimens, cross sections of most of the internal organs were on display as well. Healthy hearts, deformed valves, lungs of smokers, intact joints, replaced knees, and hips.

Whole and cross sections of the human brain were also on display. The most important ones on display were the ones showing the effects of Alzheimer’s disease and another displaying the damage of an aneurysm.

“Is it art, science, or exhibitionism?” This is a question that has been at the center of the debate since 1995 when the show debuted in Japan.

The experience on Saturday seems to suggest all three, for several different reasons.
Depending on your perspective, it depends on whether or not it should be considered art.
Dr. Kirk Kelley, a Biology professor and organizer of the trip, saw the “art” in the process of preserving the cadavers.

“I was fascinated,” said Kelley. “I’m looking at how they dissected it.”
Kelley is one of the professors in charge of teaching classes in the cadaver lab on campus.
Dr. Keith Soko, assistant professor in the Theology Department, is concentrated in teaching ethics.

“I thought it was fascinating,” said Soko. “It made me feel very fragile.”

Soko also stated “it’s a weird feeling thinking that they were real people.”

In terms of deciding the ethics of the display, Soko was uncertain.

Nursing student Alison Burman did not have any ethical issues with the exhibit.

“It was a very educational experience,” Burman said. “I think it’s important for people to understand how the body works.”

The science aspect is nearly impossible to deny because of the meticulous preparation and process to preserve the tissue. Von Hagens developed the technique of placing the specimen in a polymer solution, sealing the chamber, and putting the chamber under a vacuum. The process to preserve a whole subject takes about 1,500 hours.

Considering the show to be an exhibition of the dead is the most difficult issue. Taking into consideration of the publicity, the manner for which the display is shown, and the available souvenirs available to purchase as soon as you exit the show, is more than enough for some to be wary of the exhibit. Case in point: it’s been banned in the state of Florida.

The show is open to the public at the Science and Industry Museum, in Chicago, until September 5. Tickets prices range from $21 to $27, depending on additional options.

The Biology Department will be conducting a panel discussion, "Art, Science, or Exhibitionism" on Thursday, April 14 in the O'Keefe Library student lounge, at 11:00 a.m. Steve Tendall will join Kelley and Soko in the discussion in exploring the issues, and to get feedback from those who have seen the show.

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