Body works

LOS ANGELES – You think the saying "Beauty is skin-deep" is only invoked figuratively as a defense mechanism by people who don’t measure up to common culture’s perception of what is beautiful? Think again. Or better yet, visit the Body Worlds 2 exhibit.

Following the phenomenal success of "Body Worlds: The Anatomical Exhibition of Real Human Bodies," which welcomed 660,019 visitors when it premiered here in the United States at the California Science Center last July 2, 2004, Dr. Gunther von Hagens, creator of "Body Worlds," launched "Body Worlds 2." The second serving of dead bodies opened last January 28, 2005 at the same venue.

Like the first exhibit, the aim of "Body Worlds 2" was to educate people on how the muscles, tissues, nerves, and several other parts hidden underneath the human skin operate to maintain life. But while the premise sounds as normal as any other science lecture (read: boring), this particular exhibit, like its predecessor, found itself in the vortex of media frenzy because of the way by which human anatomy and physiology were presented.

"Are we going to the cadaver museum?" asked my 10-year-old brother who couldn’t stifle a laugh at the sight of skinned male reproductive organs he saw at the exhibit. "Look, some of them aren’t even circumcised," he commented, throwing a furious look as my mother, as if saying, "Why did you have me go through the torture when it’s ok for some people to live and die without having to undergo such a mean procedure?" Summer is the season.

In the tradition of Von Hagens’ claim to fame, the invention of a process called "plastination" in which body fluids are dried out and replaced with plastic to better preserve the human cadaver, the specimens in "Body Worlds 2" exhibit are real. Throughout the ages, scholars and students have been striving to better understand the insides of our bodies through the exploration of real specimens. Now, "Body Worlds 2" has revealed significant insights about the human anatomy.

Most of the "plastinates" (term used to refer to cadavers that underwent plastination) are in athletic poses that demonstrate the play of muscles and organ in action. "Body Worlds 2" features 25 whole body plastinates and more than 200 healthy and unhealthy organs.

As of July, 2004, there are now a total of 6,052 body donors who agreed to have their body plastinated after their death for the use of the Von Hagens’ science. Of the total, 3,365 of which were females and 2,687 were males.

Because of its tremendous popularity (some went for education, but a lot also went out of sheer curiosity), the California Science Center opened its doors ‘round the clock for the final weekend of the controversial exhibit. Extended hours have been put in place in order to accommodate crowds of visitors who wished to see the exhibit before it left the City of Angels. The 62-hour marathon began Friday, March 25 at 10 a.m. and went on until midnight on Sunday, March 27, when "Body Worlds 2" bid its farewell to America.

"It has been extremely gratifying to see that so many people appreciate the opportunity this exhibit offers to learn more about the complexity of our bodies," remarked California Science Center president and CEO Jeffrey Rudolph. "With these extended hours, we want to make every effort to ensure that everyone who is planning to see it will have a chance to get in."

The last, first and only time the Science Center ever remained open around the clock was for 41 hours at the closing of the original "Body Worlds" exhibit this past January. During the weekend alone, over 45,000 visitors came to the exhibit.

"I would like to thank my heartfelt thanks to the California Science Center and the Los Angeles visitors which have made the American debut of ‘Body Worlds’ and ‘Body Worlds 2’ such a success," noted Von Hagens. "It was my great pleasure to bring these exhibits which I created for the democratization of anatomy, to the United States."

The "plastic city" where the cadavers are flayed and prepped up for the exhibits is in China, in the same continent and therefore in close proximity to the Philippines. But there’s no word yet on whether the exhibits will be brought anywhere close to the predominantly Catholic and conservative country in Southeast Asia.

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