Culture

Ontario Science Centre Body Worlds Exhibit: Human Forms Dissected

by Tomitheos Linardos | October 10, 2009 at 10:57 am

11455 views | 78 Recommendations | 6 comments

The Body Worlds Exhibition returns 4 years after its first visit to Toronto and will be on exhibit at the Ontario Science Centre (OSC) until February 28, 2010.

This second Body Worlds Exhibition features more than 200 authentic specimens and may even surpass the 500,000 visitors the exhibition attracted in 2005. It will display plastine models with the inner anatomy and organs made from real human body parts taken from corpses.

Plastinated Bodies Include Real Donor Organs

Body Worlds was compiled from a body donor program and with this round at the OSC also includes The Story of the Heart to supplement the anatomy displays. The bodies strike life-like poses and reveal the inner anatomical structure.

Some feel this educational effort exploits dead bodies for profit and has offended some who consider it a violation of respect owed the dead. With gruesome visuals, and just in time for the Halloween crowd, the presentation itself is not for the faint of heart.

The attraction intends to present human anatomy and physiology transparently. Is it using scare tactics to bully visitors into a healthier lifestyle? Dr. Angelina Whalley, Director of the Institute for Plastination in Germany, hopes so.

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amyjudd

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 11:47 on October 10th, 2009

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member Tomitheos who was on the scene.

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Amy Judd

at 11:49 on October 10th, 2009

This is really interesting to me in the fact that it is trying to help people lead a healthier life. We had a similar exhibition in Vacouver a few years ago and there was no mention of how to eat better or anything, it was much more like 'ok these used to be people, let's look at all their insides!'

mgmirkin

at 13:43 on October 10th, 2009

Hmm, interesting... Perhaps it will encourage people not to eat lunch that day... Or for a few weeks, while recollecting the display. ;)

It sounds interesting. If not especially for the faint of heart. I'd say I "heart" this exposition, but that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Joking aside, it seems like it would be kind of cool to see our insides put on display. See what different lifestyles or diets lead to, in terms of its effects on our innards, etc.