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BODY WORLDS Exhibition of Human Anatomy by Page Selinsky

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BODY WORLDS Exhibition of Human Anatomy by Page Selinsky 40 EXPEDITION Volume 58 Number 2 GERMANY • EUROPE THE MARVELS Modern Mummies and the Exhibition of Human Anatomy of BODY WORLDS by page selinsky he Body Worlds exhibitions of plastinated Worlds exhibitions, you most likely have an opinion human bodies and anatomical specimens by about them. The commercialization of full body plasti- T German anatomist Gunther von Hagens are nates as realized by von Hagens is a polarizing topic that in many ways a distinctly modern phenomenon and has generated scores of articles, commentaries, critiques, yet also closely tied to the past in both the treatment of and accolades. Body Worlds has even made the leap into mummies as showpieces and sources of fascination (see pop-culture with a scene from Casino Royale (2006) Mitchell article in this issue), and the tradition of artisti- filmed inside one of their exhibitions, and a passing refer- cally rendered anatomical drawings dating back to the ence made to an exhibition of plastinated human cadav- Renaissance and continuing into the 19th century. This ers in The Big Bang Theory (Season 2, Episode 1). article traces the aspects of Body Worlds that align with Before launching into a discussion of the meaning current bioethical discussions about the ownership of and method behind Body Worlds, I must explain my bodily tissues (HeLa cells) and control of genomic data own personal connection to the (personal genomic testing), while also connecting it to show. I saw it here in Philadel- the broader themes running through the various articles phia in 2006 at the Franklin in this special issue on mummy studies: immortality and Institute. Several features preservation; ritual and ceremony; the control of anatom- of the show were notable ical knowledge; and sensationalism and voyeurism. in my memory. First, this exhibition marked a change A Modern Enterprise in tone from the Euro- Body Worlds is a massive international pean version, based more on endeavor that, since 1995, has mounted entertainment, to one firmly exhibitions covering venues on four grounded in science education. continents and drawing over 40 million Second, I attended the exhibition visitors. Regardless of whether you have with a group of fellow anthropolo- personally seen one of the many Body gists and scientists. Third, I was OPPOSITE: The body of “The Walker” is laterally expanded. The expanded thorax reveals the arterial configuration of the heart LEFT: A plastinate heart from a Body Worlds and the large bronchi. Background: 19th-century anatomical exhibition. RIGHT: Gunther von Hagens works drawings from the Dover Pictorial Archive Series. on the plastinate "The Kneeling Lady." EXPEDITION Fall 2016 41 THE MARVELS OF BODY WORLDS Leading the Charge Gunther von Hagens and his team position the mega plastinate “The Rearing Horse with Rider.” Completion of this plastinate took three years. visibly pregnant with my first child at the time which, plastinates of Body Worlds offer a similar if anonymized given some of the content, was probably pretty odd! immortality. Plastinated bodies are even more endur- In Europe, the (in)famous pregnant woman plastinate ing than either natural or human-made mummies. They and fetal specimens were part of the main display. In the can seemingly last forever as 70% of the organic fluid U.S., these pieces were separated behind a curtained area in them has been replaced by plastic, making them that you had to go out of your way to see. I found the simultaneously both natural and synthetic. Here at the Body Worlds show to be thoroughly engrossing, tastefully Penn Museum, mummies are considered to be cultural done, and utterly wonderful. My companions bailed on artifacts because they have been specially modified by the show long before I did. As a biological anthropologist humans during mortuary rituals. The plastination pro- with training in human anatomy, I am predisposed to cess used by von Hagens sanitizes the messy business of appreciate the elegance and skill involved in von Hagens’ biology, especially decomposition, helping to make death dissections. However, I would argue that the exhibition palpable but without offending the senses. Each whole holds meaning on many levels even for those outside body plastinate represents a significant chunk of time the biological sciences, and that seeing a Body Worlds and effort requiring between 1,000 and 1,500 hours of exhibition is very much like seeing any other collection work. As of March 2015, von Hagens has 13,843 still liv- of mummified or preserved remains. ing donors, indicating that there is broad appeal for this sort of postmortem preservation. Essentially, humans are Searching for Immortality drawn to the notion that they can cheat death by living Mummification traditions exist in many cultures using on in mummified form, including von Hagens, himself, a variety of methods. Preserving our loved ones and who wants to be plastinated after his death. making their presence felt after death Some of the primary critique of von Hagens’ work or preparing them to continue on has been that it is disrespectful to the dead, especially in the afterlife has been an impor- as his posed plastinates are often rather whimsical, even tant part of human tradition. The if they have roots in historical anatomical illustrations or can be argued as displaying functional morphology. LEFT: “The Thinker” features dis- sections highlighting the blood He has also had issues with having obtained informed vessels of brain and body. consent from the donors. In the case of the whole body UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL IMAGES © GUNTHER VON HAGENS' BODY WORLDS, INSTITUTE FOR PLASTINATION, HEIDELBERG, GERMANY, WWW.BODYWORLDS.COM. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 42 EXPEDITION Volume 58 Number 2 THE MARVELS OF BODY WORLDS “Poker Playing Trio” Body Worlds exhibitions include figures in positions that resemble everyday activities. Here, von Ha- gens injects humor as he depicts a card passed under the table. plastinates, full consent has arguably been received. sions were sometimes misin- However, this is not true for the fetal or pathological formed (the Egyptians removed samples that come from older anatomical collections the brains from mummies before the days when consent was required. The area partly to prevent rot, but also of who controls such specimens is tricky as we face because they did not think the issues concerning cell lines such as HeLa (described in brain served any important the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), which function!). The visual tour of was started from a sample taken without consent and human anatomy and physiol- ABOVE: Tendons, muscles, has spawned billions of dollars of research. Plastinates ogy provided by Body Worlds and bones can be identified that include only part of the body are also not subject to is part of von Hagens’ larger in these plastinated hands. the same rigorous consent process. Under current U.S. mission to educate and em- law, once part of your body is removed during a medical power people through intimate procedure, such as blood work, biopsy, or surgery, it is no bodily knowledge. His displays longer yours and what is done to it is not up to you. It is not only show normal human unclear if objections to Body Worlds are based solely on musculature and physiology, the issue of informed consent or, if by carving the bodies but also highlight some of up, von Hagens violates some aspect of understood ritual the chronic health issues and or ceremony associated with treatment of evolutionary problems associ- ABOVE: Heart and lung speci- the deceased. Preferring to keep the bod- ated with the human body such men of a smoker from a Body ies intact is reminiscent of the Egyptian as obesity, osteoarthritis, and Worlds exhibit. belief that the body must be whole to smoker’s lungs. move successfully into the afterlife. Just what people are or are not allowed to know Through time, people have always about their biology and who controls access to such in- been keenly interested in the workings formation is an issue we see cropping up currently, with of the human body even if their conclu- companies such as 23andMe, offering personal genomic LEFT: 19th-century anatomical drawing of the screening for health risks. There is some notion among human foot. Dover Pictorial Archive Series. regulators and biomedical experts that lay people lack the EXPEDITION Fall 2016 43 THE MARVELS OF BODY WORLDS games, and books that deal with death, for example, through exag- gerated action-filled drama or true crime murder shows. Death as one of the certainties of life is some- thing that intimately ties us to the biological world. In effect, by highlighting our own frailty and mortality, von Hagens challenges our feeling of superiority over the rest of the 19th-century anatomical drawing of the human animal kingdom. This, of course, hand. Dover Pictorial also serves to connect us vividly Archive Series. with past humans who have lived and died on our planet. However, as the Body Worlds plastinates are not named individuals, we struggle to make a connection to them—to know their stories. This is an arena where archaeology helps very much to con- textualize mummies from past cultures and allows us to understand their traditions and life. Perhaps, this clinical remove is one of the reasons people have difficulty with the Body Worlds exhibitions. They are seeing fellow humans in a most intimate way, but cannot bridge that ABOVE: Midsagittal slices of a male impersonal barrier. (left) and female (right) body. As an educator and biological anthropologist I feel there is immense value in what von Hagens has done by training to properly interpret personal information about making human anatomy accessible to everyone. I also their own bodies and that this knowledge could do more understand that he has done himself no service with his harm than good.
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