Science vs. Morals at Body Worlds 3

I was interested in seeing the Body Worlds exhibit when I heard about it awhile ago so I checked it out today. The exhibit has travelled the world and was met in Vancouver with expected squeamishness and controversy but I thought it was well worth the $25 entrance fee.

To sum it up, anatomist Gunther von Hagens invented the process of plastination that is used to preserve dead bodies. Parts of his collection of preserved bodies are put on display in the exhibit that intends to explain how the body works to the masses, including full bodies in athletic positions.

From the first display case of leg bones onwards, I couldn't help but want to subtly move my joints and feel my bones through my skin to draw the connection that these things are also in me. It was fascinating, from the intricacies of the hip joint to the fine, delicate details of the nervous system - it's stuff that's inside all of us.

The fact that these are real human bodies (and apparently all are bodies of donors who specifically consented to be used in the exhibit) is a moral concern for some, but I see it as a necessary element of veracity that makes what you see all the more compelling. The friend I was with was obviously a bit creeped out, and afterwards she mulled over the show's morality and appropriateness. These are real people.

But I think that too often we want things to be toned down and made easy on the eyes, wrapped up and presented nicely so we don't have to truly face the reality of human life (which is disgusting, confusing and fragile, heaven forbid). I know the role of the liver and kidneys, but when I saw the system of arteries and capillaries that feeds these organs, it sort of made me want to switch to a diet of grass and tree bark. Everyone's got a body, in whatever shape or form it may take. Rather than shrouding this reality in the realm of complexity and academia, we should all know what's going on in there, and understand that our bodies are ultimately our own responsibility, not simply a mysterious work of God.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver made a public statement about the exhibit and said that, "Because we hold the body to be sacred, it must be treated with respect at all times. If it is to be used posthumously, the purpose must be worthy of the sacred vessel it is being permitted to use."

I don't think there's any better sign of respect than striving for understanding.

Body Worlds 3
Telus World of Science
On now through January 14, 2007
(Save $5 and go in the evening)

Photo from Houston Museum of Natural Science