we're made of meat; or, "all we are is dust in the wind, dude"

[hammercock]

Opting mainly for sloth today, Trowa and I slept way late, lazed around, and didn't do one productive thing all day until it was time to get ready to see the Body Worlds 2 exhibit at the Museum of Science at 6:45 p.m. I can see how some people might find this sort of thing offensive, disgusting, or disrespectful, but I found it fascinating, thought

Comments

[noveldevice]

I was just thinking about these exhibitions today--someone on TQC asked "are you an organ donor? would you donate your body to science?" and I said that I'd donate my body to science but not to something like Body Worlds. :P

I wouldn't mind looking, but I don't want to be flensed and on display forever and ever. It's awesome that people don't mind, but I am sort of attached to the old husk and I don't want people laughing at it when I'm no longer occupying it.

[hammercock]

FWIW, almost everyone I encountered at the exhibit was respectful. Still, I don't anticipate donating my own body for such a purpose.

[morganminstrel]

From what I've been led to understand, you really don't want to know where at least some of the bodies came from and how they might have died. The allegations aren't pretty.

[hammercock]

I've been looking around a bit and one thing I've found so far is that "Bodies, the Exhibition," a rival exhibition, has used bodies of Chinese people who died unidentified or unclaimed. The linked article also mentions that von Hagens has been accused of using bodies of executed prisoners, which he denies. Dr. Glover, who works with BtE, also denies using prisons as source of bodies.

Interestingly, the article notes that the idea of "informed consent" is not universal, and that there is something called "pure presumed consent" that people have to explicitly opt out of in some countries. I didn't know that. There are also a number of rival shows, which I also hadn't realized.

So yeah, I see that there's controversy, but I haven't yet seen proof of some of the worst allegations.

[kimberlogic]

I remain really impressed and glad that this exhibit was required viewing as part of my school's curriculum - they chartered buses to get all of us up to Philly (where it was last Fall) when I was a Level 1 student. I think they did the same this fall while it was in Boston, but I'm not sure. It was amazing to see all of that in tandem with our anatomy classes - both book/lecture anatomy and cadaver anatomy.

[hammercock]

Being able to see all of those around the same time must have been very enlightening for you as a student!

[candle_light]

I'm glad you found it interesting. Isaac & I went to see it on Friday evening. He also particularly liked the whole body exhibits, and the fetuses. Was it a mad house for you? It was absolutely packed on Friday.

[hammercock]

Yeah, it was very crowded. I have no doubt that it was packed up until tonight's closing.

I'm glad Isaac found it interesting instead of scary! I could see it going either way for a child his age.

[hammercock]

Oh yeah, still crowded up until tonight, I'm sure (today was the last day). They had extended the hours until 10:00 p.m. until the exhibition's end.