ewww....

[HelenM]

The exhibition we saw at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry yesterday (http://www.msichicago.org/bodyworlds/index.html) :vomit:

(note: link and associated pages have photos of "plastinated" actual dead bodies)

Helen

[Beth]

I take it you didn't like it. ;)

Not sure how I would react. I might find it fascinating.

[livius drusus]

One of our first threads was about the Body Worlds exhibit (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183). :yup: What did you think of it, Helen? How about the kids?

[Crumb]

um. I think I'll pass on checking out this link... :shudder:

[xouper]

Beth: I might find it fascinating.
So might your son's science class, where they would have the opportunity to do some rib counting. :D

[viscousmemories]

One of our first threads was about the Body Worlds exhibit (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183). :yup: What did you think of it, Helen? How about the kids?
I knew I'd heard of this before. Very cool stuff.

[pescifish]

A friend of mine went to this exhibit (or one similar). She said it was fascinating and ended up spending over 7 hours making her way through it.

I think I'll stand with Beth on this one: I don't know how I'd react, but I suspect I would be like my friend (except for the 7 hours part!)

[HelenM]

One of our first threads was about the Body Worlds exhibit (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183). :yup:

I had no idea there was a thread about it from last summer! Thanks for the link.

What did you think of it, Helen? How about the kids?

We were all interested in it before we got there and when we went through it we all found it somewhat offputting that it was based on "real speciments". It was interesting, but one walk through all those dead bodies and body parts was enough.

Beth and pescifish and vm, it was interesting, but the reality of it being based on real human bodies rather distracted us. I don't think the full impact comes across from seeing the photos on the museum's website; when you're there seeing lifesize 'specimens' in front of you and you know they're preserved dead human bodies (in effect) it has quite a strong impact.

So, "interesting but too gross" was the shared opinion of all of us. I didn't see the book for guest comments; I wish I had, because I would have been curious to see what other visitors had written. (I only realized there was a book for comments when I was looking at the website today)

Anyway, my husband thought the artery specimens - where the plastinate highlighted or segregated the arteries - were very interesting. My daughter noticed how many of the 'specimens' had been smokers - many of them had lungs somewhat blackened from tar. I didn't hear my son's comments because he was with my husband rather than me as we went around.

Helen

[HelenM]

Beth: I might find it fascinating.
So might your son's science class, where they would have the opportunity to do some rib counting. :D

My daughter was counting something else, because she kept saying to me "That one's a man too!"

Helen

[viscousmemories]

I'd probably be pretty disturbed by it too, honestly. I'd still love to see it though. :)