BODY WORLDS 2: Exhibition Walkthrough
LOCOMOTIVE SYSTEM
Shake Hands Body (Ligament Body)
Natural ligaments hold this skeleton together. The bones, which are linked via the joints, provide the body with a system of levers and pincers that enable it to run, dance and carry out a variety of tasks—some simple, like picking up a pen and some more complex, like pole-vaulting. The intercostals muscles, which facilitate respiration along with the diaphragm, are shown on the right side of the body.
Muscle Only Body (Muscles, Skeleton, Baby Skeleton)
The adult specimen shows the skeleton and the muscular system of one and the same body. When standing next to one another, the two systems can be compared easily and blended into one functional locomotive system within the visitor’s mind’s eye. The specimen of the child comprises the natural bones within their natural ligaments. Cartilage-growth zones are located at the ends of the long, tube-like bones, which allow the bones to continue to grow.
Pitcher
Within this whole body plastinate, the muscles have been separated from their origins at the bones, combined into functional groups and turned in such a way that the musculature and skeletal systems are simultaneously visible. Moreover, this plastinate allows the visitor to look into all of the body joints. The lower jaw has been cut into two halves and shifted upwards.
Orthopedic Body
This body shows a variety of orthopedic and surgical procedures.
Javelin Thrower
Both sides of the thoracic and abdominal walls have been opened out like doors. All organs have been removed. The pelvic part of the hip joint has been cut off and shifted upwards, exposing the femoral head of the left leg. The right side of the head shows the muscles responsible for facial expressions and the left side is dissected down to the skull bones.
Skeleton
The skeleton reveals the body’s internal framework, consisting of more than 200 bones and 100 moveable joints.
Showcases: The body’s movements, including both stationary and forward motion, are made possible by what is known as the locomotive system. On display in showcases are bones, muscles and joints of this system, which all work together to make movement possible. Also, pathological findings such as arthritis and artificial joint replacements can be seen.
NERVOUS SYSTEM
Man at Leisure
All major nerves are shown. The raised arms completely expose the nerves of the upper extremities. The nerves of the autonomic nervous system can be seen in front of the vertebral column. They pass their signals to the abdominal organs, which have been removed in this specimen.
Ponderer
This sitting specimen shows especially detailed pathways of all the nerves, which emanate from the spinal cord. Looking at the bent back, the intercostal nerves, which supply the anterior part of the trunk, can be tracked as they travel like telephone lines along the lower rim of the ribs. Peripheral nerves can be followed from the spinal cord up to the fingertips and down to the toes.
Showcases: Fourteen brain slices and segments that reveal the interior of the brain are in display in four showcases.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Showcases: A smoker’s and a nonsmoker’s lungs show the effects of respiratory diseases such as emphysema and lung cancer. Thoracic organs of a child with thymus and cross-sections of a thorax with extensive tumor growth can also be seen. Organs including the lungs, tongue, pharynx and slices of the thorax, which work together to provide the continuous supply of oxygen required for life, are shown. Without this function most of the body’s cells would no last for more than a few minutes.
CARDIOVASCULAR AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEMS
Artery Man
The abdominal organs of the intestinal tract, including the liver, have been removed. The heart and major arteries to the extremities have been kept in place. Both kidneys with adrenal glands and the pancreas are shown below the diaphragm.
Thinker
The skeleton and arteries of the vascular system are shown together in one plastinate. Arteries of the skull reveal the presence and thickness of the soft tissue of the scalp; conversely, the head, which the Thinker is looking at, consists only of arteries.
Showcases: Specimens inside these showcases include the inside of the heart and the arteries that function in the body’s major transport system. Not only does the circulatory system distribute nutrients, oxygen and hormones to individual regions of the body, it also collects metabolic byproducts that are then eliminated. The heart is the engine of this system and the dense network of blood vessels from the transport routes.
DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
The Digestive System
The digestive tract is shown stretched out, as you might see in a textbook diagram, with the segments identified: the mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, liver, pancreas, small and large intestines and the rectum.
Showcases: Showcases contain plastinated specimens of the stomach, liver, pancreas and small and large intestines. These body parts and organs work together in the digestive tract to break down food both mechanically and chemically in a way that allows the nutrients to pass into the blood, where they can be transported to each individual cell.
UROGENITAL TRACT AND REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Showcases: On display are plastinated specimens showing the body system involved in filtering, dissolving and discharging waste. Plastinated female and male genitalia illustrate the reproductive system, essential to creating new life. A mammary gland with breast cancer and a female genital tract with an ovarian tumor are shown.
PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
Standing Woman in the 5th Month of Pregnancy
A female whole-body plastinate shows a five-month-old fetus through an opening in the uterus. At this stage of the pregnancy the fetus is six and a half inches from head to foot, which causes the abdomen to bulge. The superficial muscles have been exposed on the front of this body, while the back shows deeper muscles. On the left side of the back, the thoracic cavity has been opened, revealing a smoker’s lung, as can be clearly seen by the black pigmentation. On the right side, the torso has been opened to reveal the right kidney.
Showcases: Showcases display preserved placentas, embryos and fetuses to present the major stages of life inside the womb.
INTERNAL ORGANS
Male Torso
This torso displays a rare anatomical variation, known as situs inversus. Here the organs of the chest and abdominal cavities are transposed through the sagittal plane, showing a reversed mirror image: the apex of the heart points to the right instead of the left; the liver is on the left side of the body while the spleen is on the right; and the pancreas extends from left to right across the spinal column instead of from right to left. This anatomical variation does not cause any physical disorders. The incidence of this phenomenon is approximately 1:25,000.
Female Torso
The opened torso shows the internal organs of the chest and abdominal cavities in their proper positions. The stomach and the large and small intestines have been almost completely removed to permit a view of the organs located between the abdominal cavity and the wall of the back, known as the retro peritoneum. These organs include the uterus, the aorta and the lower vena cava as well as the pancreas and duodenum. In the small pelvic cavity, the bladder can be seen, and behind it, the uterus, which is inclined forward with the fallopian tubes emerging from the sides. The large intestine extends downward behind the uterus.
GENERAL ASPECTS OF ANATOMY
Obesity Revealed
Displayed in comparison with the body slice of a normal human body, this impressive sheet plastinate shows fat tissue and its relentless, unremitting ability to shorten life by damaging vital organs.
Ring Man
The thick body slices demonstrate the compactness of tissue and the close proximity of the individual structures to one another. Sections of the skeleton as well as blood vessels and nerve pathways can be seen between the slices. The body cavities (cranial, thoracic and abdominal) show the space that is available for vital organs.
Fragmented Body
Inside the body all of our organ systems are packages tightly together without much space in between. To illustrate this compactness of bodily interiors, fragments have been drawn out of this body’s insides or have been swung open like doors.
Soccer Player
While striving to score a goal, this specimen shows the superficial and intermediate layers of muscles in action. Contrary to the classical study of muscles in a reclined position, the plastinate shows that muscles in action have different length, according to their contracture degree. The stronger a muscle contracts, the shorter it becomes. The leg muscles needed for sustaining the body and for kicking the ball are much stronger than those of the arms, which serve to maintain balance.
Skateboarder
Because of his upside-down position, a rather unusual insight is given into the anatomy of the buttock region. The strong gluteus muscles, responsible for the upright position, are flapped aside to reveal the sciatic nerve passing aside the sitting bone of the pelvis. The knee joints are stressed heavily during skateboarding. In order to gain insight, the patellar tendons have been cut and the kneecaps lifted. The skull has been opened and the right side of the brain has been removed. Superficial back muscles have been shifted aside to show the deeper layers with their corresponding nerves.
Yoga Lady
The Yoga Lady shows surprisingly strong musculature all over her body. A combined dissection of the extremity muscles was performed by lifting the superficial muscle layers off the deeper layers to reveal their complexity.
Camel with Baby Camel
Camels are ruminants. Their stomachs consist of a complex system of several compartments or chambers, arranged one behind the other. Food is not completely chewed before passing to the rumen (first chamber) where it is then partially broken with the aid of bacteria. Reciprocal muscle contractions in the vestibule of the rumen and the muscular reticulum (second chamber) cause a constant back and forth action, thereby ensuring that the food, or cud, is well mixed and ground up. The cud is now regurgitated from the reticulum back to the oral cavity (mouth) via the esophagus where it is thoroughly chewed and salivated before being reswallowed and passed on to the omasum (third chamber). There the cud is thickened and finally enzymatically digested with the aid of pepsin and hydrochloric acid in the abomasums (fourth chamber).
ASK A DOC
Centura Health care professionals will be onsite to field questions from visitors about anatomy, pathology and physiology. They will serve as great resources to compliment this amazing educational experience.
Please note the above list is an excerpt and subject to changes or substitutions.
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Many of the Museum’s educational programs and exhibits are made possible in part by generous funding from the citizens of the seven-county metro area through the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.
