No biting the personnel

Today S, myself and a friend went to see this exhibition in downtown Seattle. While S had seen ads somewhere, I got semi-interested after watching the advertisement in the new James Bond movie. In that scene you see a number of bodies playing poker. Frankly, I thought that setup was in so-so taste. I didn’t really want to go to the expo. I got dragged there wimpering.

3 hours later I was calling that product placement false advertising. Even the images on the web site don’t do justice to the display. I’ll be blunt: it’s almost as academic a treatment of the body as what you’d expect from a museum. Yes, everything is in good taste (although tastes may vary). Yes, you can bring your kids along. It’s incredibly educational. Remembering my time in school, I envied the biology students who were there. I actually hope one day every major city will have something like this. No book will convey to you the nature, complexity and wonders of the human body quite as well as seeing the real thing.

Notes:

1. I’ve never heard so many random people discussing the human body simultaneously than at this event. It’s as if instead of chatting about football, every one started discussing the details of lung cancer.
2. The bodies were either donated or unidentied and unclaimed. There were prepared at the medical department of a Chinese university. Once you understand this, it’ll impact how you look at the bodies. For example, most of them (but not all) are of smaller stature. Moreover, the one on display to highlight the relationship between fat and weight would hardly be called overweight in North-America. You do wonder however why all the models doing sports are male. There are only a handful of female bodies. That’s a tad unfair (as one of the people accompanying me would say).
3. The process and its results are incredible… Still there are so many negative questions that can be asked. For example, how many bodies were mangled for each that remains? Where do the profits from the show go? Etc. Sooner or later you assume that a show like this must require some very special and no doubt well scrutinized permits (after all, there are preserved human fetuses).

Anyways… if you have a chance, you should stop by and spend a few hours. It’s worth the cost and I guarantee you’ll come out amazed.

Sure, my workplace has free Starbucks automated drip coffee (caff or decaff). S’s workplace has puppies training to be guide dogs. Her coworker has a blog for the adventures of Lester and Louie. Fun reading.