BODY WORLDS Opens!

Last Updated (Tuesday, 21 September 2010 15:30) Written by Raymond Nakamura

Talk about an exhibit opening. BODY WORLDS and The Brain is mind-opening, eye-opening, and body cavity opening. I just finished reading Capra's book on the science of Leonardo da Vinci, so I went inspired to draw me some body parts, though without the backwards writing. Here are a few of my scribbles.

It's Been a Slice

The exhibition related many aspects of the brain to body function. You can't see the nerves firing but it was interesting to see how they connect. They called the brain "the three pound gem." I guess that was for American audiences who might not appreciate "The 1.3 kilogram gem." I'd seen models and images of brains before, but hadn't realized how deep the furrows were until I drew this slice.

Some of our Parts

The plastinated bodies are posed in dynamic ways and dissected to provide unusual perspectives into the human body. One of them showed the various devices that can be used to repair our bodies. This drawing showed the skull and the jaw patched with metal joints. I don't know how much this one cost, but it all reminded me of the Six Million Dollar Man, which I loved as a kid. I overheard various people talking about how they knew someone who had one part or other put in. A former boss of mine wondered why the pacemaker was on the right, because her husband's was on the left. I don't know if that was intentional or not. I haven't been able to find an explanation. Maybe someone else can comment.

In Cyst On It

In addition to the full body exhibits, display tables showed various organs. Smokers should check out what their lungs look like, although I suppose those Chilean miners have more pressing issues than the condition of their lungs. I was interested in the kidney, because my mom had one removed. This one had a big cyst, which in this specimen was a big empty space.

I'll Be Back

One of my husbandly duties is to give my wife back massages. I was studying the musculature to see what might be making her so uptight. I'll let you know if I've worked things out.